First To Go: Story Of The Kataoka Family

When gathering information and filming my grandmother to document the process, she wrote in her legacy letter this sentence, “Just like my mother, I, too, have lived a life of Shiawase.” Shi-a-wase in Japanese means fortunate or happiness. To me, that's amazing to think about. Her mother, being kept away from her husband and family for roughly 3 years lived a life of happiness.

The incarceration of the Japanese Americans is something that’s glossed over in most U.S. history books that are taught in our educational system and it was rarely discussed within my own family. It wasn't until I read a printed copy from the San Francisco Examiner that my father has framed and hanging on the wall of his house that I began to dig deeper. The paper was published on December 8th, 1941 and the image is of my great grandfather handcuffed by the FBI that read "First S.F. Japanese Prisoner”. The story that I found on my family legacy is one that is touching, inspiring, and historical.

First To Go was initially made to capture my family's story and to pass it down for years to come. In some ways, it’s somewhat of a glorified home movie. I believe it’s what helps make it, not only educational, but relatable. What started as a family project turned into something that has opened doors to educate people and bring them together to have honest and open conversations about the injustices that were brought upon the Japanese and relate that to help promote racial equality and misconceptions about immigrants today.

Through its rawness and vulnerability, my hope is that it continues to help inspire others to take action and make change through meaningful dialogue about race and equality, while hopefully sparking others to look into capturing their own families story and legacy.