<Begin Segment 20>

REM: What do you think is going to happen to the Sansei and the Yonsei in the 21st Century? The Nisei have made their great contribution. They're now, let us say, the elder statespeople. What do you see happening to the unique culture of Japanese Americans in the 21st Century?

RTM: I think that's one of the concerns that the Niseis have is, how are we going to maintain the heritage and the culture that we've all inherited up to this point in time? Because in the next decade or so, I mean, the, the Sanseis have pretty much melded into the whole community. And so there isn't that distinction that there was as much as it was in the Nisei. And so hopefully that through our teaching of our children and such that they would maintain some kind of a cultural linkage between the Japanese and the other community. So I'm not too sure what direction we'll be going here henceforth, but...

REM: And what would you say about, can it ever happen again that a minority group can be interned?

RTM: Well, hopefully that the experience that, that we've had, that such a thing would not happen. But each time there is some kind of a conflict that you hear about internment and these kinds of things. Like when the Iranian hostage thing was going on, the first thing was, "Let's round up all the Iranians and put them into concentration camps," and these kind of things. So this type of mentality still is out there, and that I think that it wouldn't be surprising that something like that would happen. Hopefully, the efforts that we're making now about internment and what the consequences and such are, that these kind of things would not happen. So every opportunity that I get to speak to a public group about internment and such, that I take the opportunity to do that. I've been asked next month to speak to a Kiwanis group in Puyallup, and they want to know about "Camp Harmony" and what happened in their own local community. I've gone to different schools every year and talked about evacuating, internment, and such. It's surprising to, to know that even like in Puyallup school that I went to, they don't even know that this kind of thing happened at the Puyallup Fairground. The only thing that they felt was unfair was that the Puyallup Fair didn't go on that fall. [Laughs]

REM: It was called, "No Fair."

RTM: "No Fair," yeah.

REM: Yeah. Wonderful, ironic, yeah. It's been a pleasure to be with you, Bob. Is there anything you would like to say in conclusion, go on the record, or that you feel that needs to be said here?

RTM: I really, off the top of my head I haven't anything particular to say, except that, hopefully that experience that the Niseis had since World War II, that these kinds of experiences would not be experienced by our children or our children's children.

<End Segment 20> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.