Go back to PRESS
RELEASES
Contact: Diane Tanaka
310-222-5709
GO FOR BROKE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION TO
HOST ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW TRAINING WORKSHOP SATURDAY, MARCH
5
Featured Trainers Include Noted Oral
Historian Arthur Hansen, Ph.D, Director of California State University
Fullerton’s Japanese American Project
TORRANCE, Calif. (February 9, 2004) - As the
Go For Broke Educational Foundation strives to preserve the stories
of all living Japanese American World War II veterans through
its Hanashi Oral History Program, it is in constant need of volunteers
to implement the program. Through Hanashi, volunteers are trained
to conduct interviews from A/V equipment set-up and usage and
interview techniques. Hanashi will host a free, training workshop,
“The Art of the Interview,” on Saturday, March 5,
from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum
in Little Tokyo.
The training session is ideal for those interested in becoming
an interviewer with Hanashi, providing in-depth interview techniques
and advanced application, including: pacing, format customization,
connecting personal stories to history, and ethical issues surrounding
controversial or painful topics for the veterans being interviewed.
Though targeted for those who already have experience conducting
oral history interviews with Hanashi, it is applicable to those
first-timers who want to get involved in the Hanashi program.
An orientation for those interested in joining Hanashi can attend
the orientation session at 9 a.m., prior to the training session.
“The Art of the Interview” will feature guest speaker
Arthur Hansen, Ph.D., director of California State University,
Fullerton’s (CSUF) Japanese American Project and member
of CSUF’s Department of History, where he teaches community
oral history classes. His research specialization and publications
center on the topic of the World War II Japanese American incarceration
experience and involve oral history. A noted expert in oral history
circles, he served as president of the Oral History Association
in 2003-4.
The UPS-sponsored training session will conclude with a panel
discussion moderated by Hanashi Program Manager Steven Itano Wasserman,
and include Dr. Hansen and two experienced Hanashi volunteers.
Please RSVP by February 28 as space is limited and lunch will
be included. Call (310) 222-5705 or hanashi@goforbroke.org
to RSVP and for more information. The Japanese American National
Museum is located at 369 N. First Street, Los Angeles.
In 2005, Hanashi is scheduled to conduct 100 interviews nationwide.
Prospective volunteers are encouraged to attend the morning orientation
session that will provide an overview of the Hanashi program and
summary overview of the 100th/442nd/MIS. No experience is required
to volunteer for the following Hanashi crew positions: interviewers,
videographers, audio technicians, and catalogers. The Hanashi
volunteers travel - expenses paid - throughout the U.S. to interview
veterans, as well as conduct local interviews. Upcoming interview
trips and events include: Hawaii interviews March 16-24, Fresno
interviews, April 15-17, and Sacramento interviews April 29 -
May 1, to name a few.
The Educational Foundation’s Hanashi Oral History Program
records the life histories of WWII Nisei veterans and currently
the archive has more than 520 interviews. In addition, 200 interviews
are accessible on the Educational Foundation’s Web site,
www.GoForBroke.org, along
with a comprehensive historical section, interactive maps and
other content that utilize oral history interviews. The archive
is also used to create teaching materials, including “A
Tradition of Honor” documentary and teacher’s guide.
The documentary features 40 interviews from the Hanashi archive.
In addition, its Resource Center - located in its Torrance office-provides
more extensive information not available at www.GoForBroke.org
offering the opportunity for anyone to inquire and further research
the Japanese American World War II veteran experience.
In 1989 Japanese American World War II veterans built the Go
For Broke Monument, which would become an eternal tribute to the
heroics of the segregated Japanese American units: 100th Infantry
Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, MIS (Military Intelligence
Service) and the many other men and women who served overseas
during World War II. The Monument is located in downtown Los Angeles
at Temple and Alameda streets. Today, under a new generation,
the Go For Broke Educational Foundation continues to carry the
torch through educational initiatives to perpetuate this important
American story.
