<Begin Segment 9>

GK: What do you think were the contributions of the different redress groups to the movement?

SH: Well, let's see. I think that... I think that the JACL, national JACL had, as an established organization, they had a lot of... they had a big infrastructure. They had paid staff, they had chapters around the country. They had ultimately a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. They also had, as an established organization, they had a lot of stature in different areas, like in Washington, D.C. and with different Congress people, and with their relationship with other organizations and stuff like that. And they... they did a great job doing lobbying. I mean, that was, I believe, a major contribution. They used all their resources to very effectively put in place a lot of networks around the country to get a lot of lobbying done.

The NCRR was not an established organization, didn't have the same kind of resources that the JACL had. But I think that by broadening the movement, actually made possible the participation of people who wouldn't have gotten involved otherwise. There were people in San Jose that we met who, for whatever reason, wouldn't work with the JACL. And we tried to open our arms to people, to encourage different kinds of involvement. We tried to make it an organization where, like Nisei who maybe didn't want to go to five meetings a week until eleven o'clock at night, could actually provide leadership based on their experience. So, our experience is kind of different. I mean, I think we did a lot of... like, I think a lot of our efforts went to uniting different organizations. I think that was a big contribution. I also think that in San Jose, we went out and specifically tried to bring other nationality organizations to the Day of Remembrance, to endorse the redress legislation, and that actually was a big breakthrough for a lot of Japanese Americans. Actually, a lot of Nisei came up to us and were so impressed that African American, Chicano organizations, Native American organizations and other Asian American organizations would come and support us, because I think that, especially in the early days of the redress movement, I think that they were very used to feeling isolated. Like some Nisei said, "I thought everybody hated us." And they were so moved to that, and I think it was kind of an awakening on some level in terms of political consciousness in terms of what does that mean to build these ties with these other organizations and other people and stuff? And I think we also struggled to get people to understand that it was mutual. That we needed to support their parallel struggles for justice. So I think that was a contribution in broadening the redress movement.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.