Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 352

“We fled to the Philippines, which was under American occupation...

“We fled to the Philippines, which was under American occupation at the time. But it wasn’t long before the Japanese took over the islands. We were living in Manila, and when the Japanese occupied the city, they began to teach us to read and write Japanese. When the Americans came to retake the city, they invaded from the north, and the Japanese blew up the bridges and barricaded themselves in the southern part of the city where we lived. Shells were falling all around us, because the Japanese had stationed a gun encampment across from our house. One morning, we decided to make a run for the hospital, so that we could put ourselves under the protection of the Red Cross. Our neighbors were running in front of us, pushing their belongings on a pushcart, when they stepped on a land mine and the whole family was killed. We kept running, but when we got to the main street, there was a checkpoint and we weren’t allowed to cross. So we hid beneath a house, and soon we were discovered by Japanese soldiers. They lined us all up against the wall to be executed. We begged and begged and begged for our lives. They finally allowed my mother and the children to step aside, but they told my father to stay. My mother dropped to her knees and asked the Japanese commander to imagine it was his family. And he finally let all of us go.”

“We fled Germany on November 9th, 1938. It was called the...

“We fled Germany on November 9th, 1938. It was called the Crystal Night, because there were demonstrations against Jews all over Germany, and many windows were being broken. We were living on the outskirts of Hanover. When my father came home from work that night, he told us that the synagogue was on fire, and that firemen were standing in a ring around it to prevent the flames from spreading to other buildings. He said: ‘We’re getting out of here.’”

"She wanted to wear her Hello Kitty dress. So we compromised."

"She wanted to wear her Hello Kitty dress. So we compromised."

Seen in Jamaica, Queens.

Seen in Jamaica, Queens.

Seen in Jamaica, Queens.

Seen in Jamaica, Queens.

Today in microfashion…

Today in microfashion…

Seen in Jamaica, Queens.

Seen in Jamaica, Queens.

Seen in Jamaica, Queens.

Seen in Jamaica, Queens.

“We were laying in bed just the other night, looking at the...

“We were laying in bed just the other night, looking at the ceiling, and I said: ‘You know, it’s been thirty years, and it’s never felt worn. There’s never been a sense of tiredness with you.’”

Daddy Proof

Daddy Proof