Jean Peasah (nee Kobayashi) was born on September 27, 1933 in Vancouver, B.C. in 1933. Jean talks about her family's history. Her grandfather emigrated to Hawaii and then her father arrived in Canada in 1918. Her father travelled to Japan when he was getting married. Jean talks about growing up with her siblings in Little Tokyo, Vancouver including going to school and attending church gatherings. After the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Jean's father was sent to Petawawa, ON and then Angler, ON. She talks about not feeling secure after her father left and essentially growing up without him. During WWII, Jean and her family were interned in Lemon Creek, BC. She talks about life in Lemon Creek internment camp. After the war, Jean and her family migrated to Japan. Jean talks about the living conditions of postwar Japan, and her experiences attending school in Japan. She talks about her initial disinterest in returning to Canada, and her eventual decision to temporarily return to finish her education and gain work experience in social work. Jean talks about meeting her husband, Joseph Peasah, and moving with him to Ghana, where they raised one child. After briefly living in Nigeria, Jean and her family settled back in Canada in 1984. Jean ends the interview by talking about her involvement in the Japanese-Canadian community, and her desire to support the Sedai project any way she can.
Clip from Japanese Canadian Experience Conference: https://vimeo.com/337588482
Jean Peasah is the the sister of Arthur Shogo Kobayashi, whose interview is listed under accession number 2011.327