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AI: Well, I want to ask you also to say a little bit about the larger society here, because when you explain that having people of color or racial minority people authoring articles that ran in the major daily newspaper...

TI: Yeah.

AI: ...at that time, were there any columnists who were people of color...

TI: No.

AI: ...regular columnists or major reporters or editors who were people of color at the newspaper?

TI: No. That didn't exist. This is why we protested and came up with a compromise idea, initially anyway. And today, of course, it's changed. The doors have opened up quite a bit.

AI: And likewise within the Seattle Community College administration or within the administration of health services or mental health services, were there upper-level administrators who were people of color at that time?

TI: There were some. Lyle Kasim was the head of Division of Mental Health for a period of time. So symbolically, he was the enemy that we approached and criticized and demanded. But we had unusual relationship. Once a year at least we have a party at his house, Lyle Kasim's house, and we built real nice relationship -- potluck and, and I used to organize the games, so it was just a fun time together. But having that kind of unusual relationship opened up funding for the ethnic minority mental health consortium, another coalition effort as a focus on mental health. It was a real trying time as far as having your foot all over the place on community-wide issues, and at the agency, focusing in more narrowly on kids that were in trouble. It worked out, and I felt it was very appropriate for the agency to be active participants, involved. And so it was hard for me to, after thirty years completion, I felt I would give myself three more years. And I said that would be end. (Completing) thirty-three years. It was exhausting, but I still enjoyed it. And so I feel very blessed with the opportunities that came about, that I could be involved.

AI: Thank you.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.