<Begin Segment 33>

BK: What other kinds of organizations are you involved in?

MH: Oh, let's see. I... right now I'm speaking to schools, but I only speak two or three times a year. Maybe it depends on when they want me. I go out to grade schools mostly, I've done -- some are high school, at Federal Way -- and I've done some, what do you call, alternative schools? And then... but usually it's the grade schools I enjoy the most. They're curious, but they don't ask me all the real hard questions that I can't understand. [Laughs] That I don't know the answers to. I feel that all of us have to make sure that nobody has to go through what we went through. Although, for me, it wasn't a sad time, it was a time of life. But I think all of us should remember that. I try to tell the children, too, that you can't like everybody. That's not normal. But you can't hate everybody, either. So just because they're a little bit different, you can't say, "I hate you." Because it can get you in, very hard decisions to make, but you know, you have to... everybody isn't gonna like you, so... and that's the only reason I try to go out to schools and speak is, because I think they have to remember that we can't go through this again.

BK: And when you talk about "this," you mean the camp experience.

MH: Yes.

BK: The evacuation.

MH: Although for me, I had a good time. Not a good time, but it wasn't a sad time. Yeah. It was an experience, but I don't want other children to have to, or anybody else, to go through that.

BK: What kinds of things do they seem to be interested in hearing from you?

MH: Mostly for little kids it's, they want to know what we eat, what we ate, where we played, what we did in school. Did we ever get to go out of the camp? Oh, when I did the eighth grade, the first thing the girls say, "Well, did you have a boyfriend?" I thought, "Oh, goodness." [Laughs] It sounds like an eighth grader, right? [Laughs] I laughed. But, the little kids are really interested, and I think I did the Jewish Academy. Now, this is about the fourth year, I guess. And I guess they really are into teaching their children the different things of the Japanese internment. In fact, their map is the one I use now. And I've given it to other people to use, because it's such a good -- and it tells, you know, what state it is.

BK: You mean where the different camps were located?

MH: Yes, uh-huh. So I think in all of our Japanese community, that's one of the most important things that we should do, to try to teach people to be more passionate to each other.

BK: That must be rewarding, for you to go do that.

MH: Well, it's kinda nice. I get teased a lot. Especially my brothers, because they say, "You're such a blabbermouth." [Laughs]

BK: But I think it's so important, too, that, you know, you are willing to share your experiences.

<End Segment 33> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.