Data from the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction show that Asians are the largest non-European teachers group teaching in Washington (2004). One thousand, three hundred, and thirty-three, full-time classroom teachers identify themselves as Asian. In Washington classrooms, there are more Asian teachers than Black teachers (818) or Hispanic teachers (1,175). But despite the large numbers of Asian teachers, Asian Americans have been greatly neglected in studies of the lives and work of US teachers. Most research on teachers' lives and work explores the identities of teachers of European descent, and, in a few instances, the lives of African-American teachers. This study aims to add to the research on Asian American teachers by collecting the oral histories of one Asian subgroup, seven Japanese Americans women in the Pacific Northwest. Drawing on oral history interview data and historical records, the author was able to explore how they became teachers and how they contributed to student learning. She will begin with an overview of the existing literature on issues relating to the hiring and placement of teachers of color in order to provide readers with the background and context in which these teachers were hired and placed in Seattle schools. The experience of African American teachers, who were also marginalized, provides a useful historical foundation for understanding the experiences of Japanese Americans in the teaching profession. Following this review of the literature, she will describe the intersectional framework that guides this study. Finally, she will discuss oral history research methodology and present some of the findings of this research. (Contains 3 endnotes.)