Japanese American Turning Points. After teaching in Minnesota for a few years, Dad received a job offer in California. Excited for the new opportunity, he and Mom packed up their Airstream and set off for the West Coast. Upon arriving in Cypress, California, they sought to settle in a mobile home park on Lincoln Avenue. However, they were turned away with the words, “We don’t take your kind here.” This was the 1950s, a time when Japanese Americans frequently faced discrimination and prejudice.
Undeterred, Mom and Dad drove further east to another mobile home park. The manager there, regretfully, informed them that he was full. However, when they mentioned their previous experience, he offered to help. “I know the guy who runs that place,” he said. “Let’s go talk to him together.”
With the manager’s assistance, Mom and Dad were eventually admitted to the mobile home park that had initially rejected them. Remarkably, over time they formed a deep friendship with the very man who had first turned them away.
Other things Japanese American
