<Begin Segment 19>

BF: Now, open, tell, describe a little bit about the open, why there was a need to have an open housing initiative.

AS: Okay, because, yeah. The Jews had begun to move out already, and there were just certain areas they couldn't move to. But that was not true of African Americans, and it was not true of Asian people. They were still pretty much in certain neighborhoods. And so it, we're living in a democracy, and we pride ourselves on this being a democracy, but then when we do things like that that are so not democratic. That's just, there's no reason for that.

BF: I think this was in the mid-'60s, early '60s?

AS: It was early '60s, yeah.

BF: And they were trying to make that actually illegal to discriminate on the basis.

AS: Right, absolutely.

BF: So how did you get involved in this, you just volunteered?

AS: Oh, well... oh, I know. I had this experience with the Seattle Schools, where really had some bad experiences. I had my contract the first year, before I even graduated from the University of Washington, and they didn't tell me until the day before school was to start -- in fact, they didn't, I kept calling and they said, "Don't call anymore, we'll call you." And I had read in the paper that teachers were reporting to their schools the next day, so I called the office and I said, "I know you've told me not to call, but I do have a contract, I have not been assigned to a school, and I don't think the school district is gonna like paying me if I'm sitting home." So, so then she gave me an assignment -- I mean, a choice between two schools, so I took the one that was closer to where we lived. It wasn't that close, but it was closer. And, which was Hamilton Middle School, where I now tutor. And I felt I had a great experience. Now, this was the second year teaching. The first year it was at Monroe Junior High, where I taught. Then at, towards the end of the year, they said, "Well, our school enrollment is going down, so you will not be with us next year." So then, that's when I kept calling, "Where am I going to go?" And so they told me between those two schools, and I took the one at Hamilton, and I just assumed that was my assignment, that I'd be able to stay there. And in December of that first semester, teachers were saying, "Oh, it's been so wonderful having you here, you did such a great job with the math class," and then I heard a few times, I began to wonder, "I better go ask in the office what's going on." And I found out, "Oh, didn't they tell you? You were taking the place of one of the teachers who was on a sabbatical, and he's coming back for the second term, and so you'll have to contact the district and see where they want to send you." And I remember I developed quite a cough from the chalk, and chalk, I just couldn't get rid of it. And I thought, "I'm not going to go to another school." And I also had planned to do my fifth year, which teachers are supposed to do when they're new, they do a fifth, so I said, "I'll start, I'll get that started."

And so I had some time, and I... yeah, so I had some time, and I saw that they, the program, the open housing group could use volunteers, and so I called the volunteer -- I didn't realize I was the only one. I'm sure there must have been, but others, that there were others, but in this one office, it was a woman who was in charge of the program. And so, so I did, I was there for a few months.

BF: What kind of work did you do when you were there?

AS: Well, it was mainly office work. I can't remember if I did telephoning, I know I wrote at least one letter for her, and... I didn't give any speeches or anything like that, but, but helping out in the background.

BF: Yeah, I, I tried to do a little bit of research on it, and it sounds like the first effort failed quite, quite soundly.

AS: That's right. Yeah.

BF: By two-to-one, it was voted down, and then it was four more years until it finally did pass in '68.

AS: The second time.

BF: It's amazing.

AS: So maybe the first time there, didn't then, because that was about...

BF: Was it, it was the first vote in '64.

AS: Sixty-three or '64.

BF: Yeah, so that was the first one.

AS: That was the first one.

BF: Defeat, it was defeated.

AS: Yeah, I wasn't sure. Okay.

BF: It did pass --

AS: Yeah, I know, but four years.

BF: -- but it took a bit longer.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.