1950’s, Japanese American life post WWII, Mobile Home Park, Southern California

 

Japanese American post WWII California
Japanese American post WWII California

My dad told me this story a long time ago, about a place  I drive by on the way back from dropping my kids off for school.

My mom and dad met in Colorado and were married a few years later. Mom’s version was that she gave dad a ultimatum. I guess dad caved? He originally went to school for engineering but couldn’t hack the study and having-two-or-three-jobs-while-going-to-school-thing so he instead became a teacher. Dad’s first teaching job was in Minnesota. He loved the job, people, fishing, and hunting. Although mom met some nice people in Minnesota she wasn’t crazy about the weather and the bugs.

After a fews years of teaching in Minnesota dad got offered a job in California. So they drove their Airstream to California. They went to a mobile home park in Cypress off Lincoln ave., but were turned away. They were told “we don’t take your kind here”. This was during the 1950’s (World War II recently ended). Japanese American’s lived with this type of pre-judgement. So mom and dad drove east of this location to another mobile home park. The man at this park said he was full and suggest they go to the mobile home they had turned them away. They told him what happened and he said “I know the guy who runs that place, lets go together and talk to him”.

The man got my mom and dad into the mobile home park that previously turned them away. And wouldn’t you know in a short time they became best friends with the man who originally turned them away.

“Aloha” Hunter Long, a bail shot story

Ken Hada photography hunter long aloha skateboarding-1
Ken Hada photography hunter long aloha skateboarding

“Aloha” Hunter Long, a bail shot story. Hunter asked me if we could hit Pedlow skateboard park. And just a few hours after the session ended, Hunter was on plane bound for Hawaii.

The next day I edited the photos. And I felt she might like this “bail shot”. So I text her this photo along with some “makes”. And Hunter immediately text back that she thought this image was funny.

Amelia Brodka, am session at Vans Off The Wall Skateboard Park

Ken Hada Amelia Brodka front d vans off the wall skateboard park-1
Ken Hada Amelia Brodka front d vans off the wall skateboard park-1

Ken Hada Sarah Kate vans hb back disaster-1
Ken Hada Sarah Kate vans hb back disaster-

Back in the day when change seemed like nothing but a fantasy, instead of giving into the way things were going she believed in women skateboarding and even built a refuge for it thrive in.

These images are from a skateboarding session Amelia Brodka invited me and my camera to on the morning of the Girls Global Qualifier Huntington Beach. Amelia has been a heroic figure for me ever since I heard about her movie and annual skateboarding event Exposure. You see when I throw a Skatopia reunion its me cooking chili dogs over a old coleman stove at Chino skatepark. When Amelia throws a event it is somewhat larger. So I am always honored to photograph her and always happy to pick her brain on things like Women’s skateboarding.