Lily Shinde

“My activism goes beyond the personal” – an Interview with Japanese Canadian activist Lily Shinde

Interview by Mercedes Eng

In 1942 my mother with six children, along with about a 1000 other Japanese Canadians, were interned to Greenwood, BC, a small mining ghost-town. My father was sent to a labour camp in the neighbouring town of Grand Forks. With this legacy, I was born into a family where political activism was talked about everyday. My father was a troubleshooter during the internment years. He took care of the needs of the people who left Steveston with very little and went to a deserted town. He was a mediator between internees and the BC Securities Commission and fought for adequate health care, food supplies, and decent housing. The City of Greenwood was not prepared for us, so when we first arrived, we were not allowed to go to the public school. A Catholic high school was built and then we were able to get an education. (…)