Keiko's New Life

Scene 1: The Assassination

In 1946 following the end of World War 2, Keiko Etsuko was released from the Tule Lake internment camp.  His family, who were located in the Rohwer internment camp, was also released. Since all of their belongings were taken from them before being taken to the internment camps, Keiko had to find a way to sustain his family. He and his family moved back to Los Angeles where he worked as a chef for the Ambassador hotel. His uncle, now adaptive father, found a janitorial job in a nearby hotel while Megumi, who is Keiko’s adoptive mother worked a clerical job in a nearby hospital. This narrative will explore Keiko's journey as he lives a renewed life in California during the Vietnam war. We will follow him during his journey post the Japanese-internment camp years where changes in California will help him discover new things about himself. 
 
In  June 4 1968, Robert F. Kennedy, delivered a speech in the Ambassador hotel to address his victory of the California and South Dakota primary elections for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. After delivering his speech, he made an exit through the kitchen of the Ambassador hotel where he shook the hands of Keiko and one of his cooks.  A 23-year old Jordanian immigrant named Sirhan Sirhan fatally shoots Robert Kennedy.  His hand is held by a kitchen worker of the Ambassador hotel, and Kennedy is quickly comforted by his wife Ethel. Keiko flees the kitchen and rushes his way through the panicking crowds and makes it safely out of the hotel. Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of murder in 1969 and then given death penalty. His sentence was later commuted to life in prison ("Kennedy Is Dead," 1968). 

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