A CONVERSATION
WITH LARRY MATSUDA
“My first experience with the power of museum exhibits was in 1969 when I helped put together an exhibit about the Japanese American incarceration at the Museum of History and Industry entitled The Pride and the Shame. The groundbreaking exhibit was the impetus for Japanese Americans’ reparations nationwide.
Museum exhibits are powerful tools for change, and the Wing Luke Museum has accepted that mantle.” - Larry Matsuda
Larry Matsuda holding his book Fighting for America: Nisei Soldiers
Regardless of Lawrence “Larry” Matsuda’s role in his life—student, educator, writer, or activist—Larry strives for liberty and justice for all.
In 1969, he helped start an Asian American activist group named the Asian Coalition for Equality (ACE). With ACE, Larry and Tony Ogilvie pushed for the inclusion of Asian students in the University of Washington’s Special Education Program. Throughout his positions at Seattle Public Schools, he created and taught the first Asian American course in Washington, developed systems to racially integrate students, and secured funding for bilingual programs and a bilingual school.
Larry is featured in our newest exhibit, Nobody Lives Here — alongside the stories of other people, businesses, and communities whose lives were disrupted by the construction of the I-5 freeway in the 1960s.
“I grew up at 921 Lane Street and attended the Japanese Presbyterian Church just blocks away. As an adult, I tried to revisit the neighborhood and concluded that it was all under the Dearborn exit of I-5. That’s where I grew up, and it’s all gone.”
Larry Matsuda’s mom 3rd from the right at Japanese Presby, 1948 - Photo Courtesy of Larry Matsuda
The construction of the I-5 freeway is an example of what Larry calls “two Americas: one where people lived freely, and another with less justice.”
“My parents talked about their experience of forced internment all the time. Even after the war, television brought all the war shows that portrayed the Japanese as the enemy. Our parents told us not to call attention to ourselves by misbehaving so we would not get our community into trouble and relocated again.”
Today, amidst conversations about the Sound Transit light rail expansion, our community is again confronted with the existence of two Americas. “I see the new Lightrail station as another example of people taking advantage of this area because the residents are disconnected by language and race.” As the freeway did over sixty years ago, our neighborhood’s precious memories, stories, and very existence are threatened.
But Larry believes we all have the power to advocate for our community. “Discrimination will not go away by itself. There must be concerted efforts to create a more just society and country.” And the Wing Luke Museum is where those efforts begin.
Alan and Larry Matsuda at 921 S. Lane Street, 1948 - Photo Courtesy of Larry Matsuda
Lane Street kids on bikes - Photo Courtesy of Larry Matsuda
Larry Matsuda and friends in tub 1948 - Photo Courtesy of Larry Matsuda
By engaging with Nobody Lives Here, our community can now visit 921 Lane Street and the other neighborhoods lost under the freeway. As we learn from the exhibit and the rest of the Wing Luke, we all work towards a future where there are no longer “two Americas.”
“Museums have the power to reach people and motivate them as they learn lessons through discovery. Supporting the Wing Luke Museum is a vote for critical thinking, a vote for having informed citizens necessary to support democracy, and a vote for social justice.”
You are a valued donor of the Wing Luke Museum, and we’re asking you to please join in making an additional donation to the Wing Luke Museum. Your gift allows us to continue to share stories like Larry’s and those highlighted in the Nobody Lives Here exhibition. Your support ensures these stories are heard and everyone has a voice and a place here.
Please note our mailing address has changed:
PO Box 3025
Seattle, WA 98114
To make a donation via stock or securities contact our Development Team