Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Fumiko Hayashida Interview
Narrator: Fumiko Hayashida
Interviewers: Lori Hoshino (primary), Alice Ito (secondary)
Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington
Date: March 16, 1998
Densho ID: denshovh-hfumiko-01-0007

<Begin Segment 7>

LH: Okay. It's sounds as though Bainbridge Island had a strong Japanese community. Was the Japanese community, in your opinion, any different on Bainbridge than it was in Seattle?

FH: Well, I don't know about Seattle because I didn't live there. But I know Bainbridge is close-knit, everybody's interested, including hakujin. We used to go to PTA meetings, we all went. And when I moved to Seattle, and say they were gonna have a PTA meeting, and I thought, oh it's gonna be crowded. But, no -- hardly anybody at PTA meeting, I don't know they -- I was kinda surprised. Sometimes PTA meetings, we used to go, in fact my husband and I used to go, and others, it was crowded. I think everybody, I don't know, I was surprised 'cause I expect lots of people to go, but, I went to Beacon Hill PTA meeting and was surprised.

LH: Do you feel that the Bainbridge Island parents were very supportive of their kids in school?

FH: I think so. The meeting was evening, of course city meetings were afternoon, so that made a difference too, I guess. And all the teachers were there.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.