Interview with Sam Sadaki Baba

Sam Baba was a nisei born in 1926 in New Westminster, BC, into a large family of 11 children. His father immigrated from Shiga prefecture at a young age, and as a foreman at Mohawk Lumber Company, was committed to opening doors for fellow countrymen at his workplace. As a child, Sam was an energetic and mischievous child, who was also not afraid to fight back against racial discrimination. His interactions with the non-Japanese in New Westminster was a mixture of both positive and negative encounters. After Pearl Harbour Attack broke out, like many other Japanese families, Sam’s family parted ways with their father; his mother and her 11 children were sent to Kaslo, BC. The sudden family separation and uprooting caused tremendous stress for Sam’s mother, as well as for Sam, who was the eldest son. He gave up schooling and joined the workforce, with little time for leisure until the family moved to New Denver and reunited with their father. In New Denver, Sam enjoyed a variety of recreational activities and met his future wife. The family got separated again after the government adopted the policy of expunging Japanese Canadians from BC. They later reunited in Toronto, ON. 

In the second part of his interview, Sam Baba spoke in further details about his experience relocating from Tashme to Toronto in 1946, a time when Japanese Canadians were barred from settling in Toronto without sponsorship. While Sam’s family was fortunate to have found sponsorship and assistance from friends, Sam initially struggled to find a job in the city due to anti-Asian discriminatory practices that were prevalent among Toronto employers. Sam and his wife eventually found employment with Jewish firms in the garment industry, and since then had been consistently employed by and partnered with Jewish businessmen until their retirement. Sam held the Jewish community in high regard, crediting Jewish business for providing opportunities to Japanese Canadians at a time when most white business would not. Sam also shared thoughts on some current trends among Japanese Canadians. His observation of and disappointment at the decline in political participation in younger Japanese Canadians revealed a generational gap regarding perceptions of voting rights and representations between his and younger generations. Sam’s discussion about his own voting habits illustrated how family history informed one’s political allegiance, as well as the extent to which past injustice shaped and continues to shape contemporary politics.