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MA: I wanted to talk with you about the Japanese American community, sort of organizations that you're involved with, because you've talked about the Japanese American resource center that you're involved with. Can you talk about that a little bit?

CT: A group of people got together the initial group and wanted to do something to kind of preserve the history, I think. And the people that, the main leaders of that group were Bill Hosokawa and Bob Sakata and then Cathy Ajisaka. And I don't know the names, Carrie Hata, I think they were part of the first group that kind of just got together and began with an idea. And then as they went along, then more people who had similar interests and kind of wanting to preserve something, came on board, and then we just moved very quickly. It's very new. We're probably a total of two years, you know, kind of from the start of the discussion to now the active part. And so we have an office that we're going to be opening at the end of June. And there we hope to have exhibits on... everything is going to be work in progress, but it will be the beginning of the mapping of the Japanese business section and then the beginning of the mapping of the presence of the Japanese American farmers in the state.

MA: And what's the final, are you gonna put this in a book, or you mentioned exhibits.

CT: We're gonna have small exhibits, but the goal is not to be a museum. It's, we're too small, it takes too much money to keep and preserve, so I think just speaking for myself, the goal would be to preserve at least the oral histories that have already been done in this area, but also to preserve the memories. And so one of the things that we're going to do at the opening is to ask people to come and maybe write one memory that you have of growing up in the Denver community. Most people would write about their childhood, but we've heard some very entertaining stories about their memories that sort of gives life to a picture, or life to our map. Looking at a map and seeing all these dots, that there were these farmers here, or these farmers lived there, that's nice visual data, but what makes it more interesting is when someone says, "I remember growing up and we did this." Or, "I remember my parents did, and we did this." And so that gives kinda the more, the richness, and the fullness. So I think for right now, we're just trying to get on our feet. And we will have a small exhibit. And our projects that we're doing. But it's a good group, everybody's really committed. And we all kind of have the same goals, let's preserve what we have. We're probably twenty years too late, because we've lost so many of the Isseis and the Niseis. But at least we can kind of try to catch what we have now.

MA: Yeah, definitely.

CT: So that's one of the things I'm involved in. The other one is the Japanese American community graduation program. And that's kind of, it seems kind of like it has a narrow focus, but it has much more of an impact on the community. And that organization, I think we celebrated our fiftieth year a couple years ago. And that started, was originally started by the JACL to begin to recognize our own students that are graduating from high school. And the JACL offered a scholarship in memory of one of the presidents that had passed away. And then from, and then the churches were giving scholarships and the bowling league was giving something. Everybody had kind of their own little group. And then Min Yasui, who was very active in the Denver community, he and a couple other people got together and said, "Why don't we make it a community thing?" So, I think thanks to them, that's sort of that okage sama de that they did, and then that brought the community together and it continues to this day. So we raise money, and the scholarships are available for students in a smaller geographic area of Japanese ancestry who have a link or a tie with the Japanese American community. And I think, me personally, hopes that their experience would be a positive one because they're getting a scholarship. And so that when they graduate from college, that no matter what community their jobs or anything takes them to, that they will join and support a Japanese American community in that state or that community so that we can keep perpetuating that commitment. And really, like I said, to do the kind of, honor our Issei pioneers who, it is really truly okage sama de. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here and have what we have. And then the older Nisei,too, who went through a lot of struggle. So hopefully those young people will go out and participate.

MA: Are you finding in Denver that there are a lot of Japanese American youth or young people that are getting involved with the community and community activities?

CT: Most of them wait until they're through with school. Of course, when you're younger and you belong to the youth groups, then that's the tie. Your parents take you, but then the real key is after your parents stop taking you and you graduate from college and you kinda get into your jobs, how they will come back. I don't say that it's really one hundred percent, but then we don't know what the graduates or the students who have moved away are doing. We did do a twenty-five year reunion, and sent letters to the graduates and asked them what they, what they were doing, their jobs and everything, and were they involved in community activities. And I don't remember that it was a big involvement, but at least many of them were involved. And that's what you could hope for.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.