<Begin Segment 21>

AI: So Elaine, before our break, we were just talking about the redress for Japanese Americans, and how you had testified at the commission hearing here in Seattle. And then, of course, it wasn't until 1988 that the redress act passed, and then, and was signed, and it wasn't until 1990 that the apologies and checks actually started coming out. But when you received yours, what was your reaction?

EH: Well, you get into a lot of preliminary discussions and you do a lot of reading, Pacific Citizen, and so it is, it was a real issue and a joyous moment when it actually got done. Actually, the JACL convention was here in Seattle, and they took a red-eye flight to D.C. to sign this, and my friend Molly Yasutake was on that flight, so it was a big sigh of relief, and fairly joyous. They came back to the, to the convention and was able to tell us what all the ramifications... and then, interestingly enough, I think there were a string of meetings... before or after? I guess it was maybe before -- the period between signing it and when the redress came out. But there were, there were some concerns and issues. I remember going to a meeting at the vets hall, and there were a couple of other meetings, because we really didn't know how well it was going to be implemented.

And I think when my check came, I was very matter-of-fact about it, and I invested it. And my kids said, "Wow, what happened to that check? I thought we were (going to) get a piece of it." [Laughs] And I said, "No, that will be for my retirement investment," and I said, "You guys are making good, getting good wages. You don't really need this little bit that's relatively precious for me." But I do know that -- my sister, my youngest sister bought a Lexus. [Laughs] And one of my sisters in New York called and said, "What did you do with your check?" I just felt like saying, "None of your business." But I said, "I invested it." "Oh, really?" And I said, "What do you think you're (going to) do with yours?" Different people have different priorities, and different financial needs. So my mother died before she got her check, and they gave it, I think, to the, the older you were, the earlier you got it. My mother died in 1990, so she just missed it. Though she was aware that it was going to come. And oddly, your siblings can't get this check if you die before you get it. Your, your offsprings can, so when my mother's check came, I think split in four at that time. I think that now... but my sister died the following year, before she got her check, and I decided that her sons should have it. They sent it promptly back to me -- [laughs] -- and said, "No, you use it for whatever." And I only got a third of it, I guess. No, maybe I got a fourth. 'Cause there were four of us left.

AI: It was, it was sad because there were so many people that died before they received their, their redress.

EH: Uh-huh. But I, I sent it to Amnesty International, because that was one of her favorite programs. I think... gee, I really can't remember what we did with my mother's check. But she would have had, she had a list of places, churches particularly, but Reverend Kagawa in Kobe would have... but it was significant. I have a friend who, whose father was so impressed with that, that a president would sign a letter of apology, that he said, "You guys could have this," gave the check to them, but he wanted that letter framed, because he thought that was, what a unique country this was. So it meant different things to different people. But I think it took a lot of hard work for the commission and all the people that traveled all over the place, voting for it. I, it was kind of amazing to me that I could understand that to pass Congress, it was (going to) take some work. But like Molly was traveling to get the Japanese Americans to vote for it, pressure for it. And I think, I think it was well worth it. It may not have been that much, but I really don't think this country would remember it in history if some monetary issue didn't arise from it.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.