<Begin Segment 19>

MA: So you are also very active with the Japanese American National Museum. Can you talk about your involvement with, with JANM?

YA: Well, I started... well, I've been there over ten years, I think it's about twelve. And I'm a docent, and I conduct tours in English and Japanese. And last, was it last year? I volunteered for taiko and learned how to play a couple of pieces and performed for the museum talent show. And we did a performance for a high school in Montebello couple months ago.

MA: In general, when you're leading these tours as a docent, do you find that most people already know and they're aware of the World War II internment experience?

YA: Depending on the... most students now know about it. They're learning about it, which I'm very grateful for. Some of the... the first Japanese students that started coming, they didn't know that the United States and Japan were enemies at one time. They don't teach it. But now they're, they do. They know about it and in some instances their schools will kind of prepare them for our visit, for their visit to our museum. So they know a little.

MA: It's a great resource, I think, the museum is, for people.

YA: Uh-huh.

MA: So do you have any other thoughts or anything else that you would like to share? Any memories or any messages for, you know, people who will watch this interview or anything at all?

YA: Well, I think the museum, the reason it was built and the monies that were raised, the majority of the money came from thousands of people who donated the minimum of five hundred, because they wanted this experience to be preserved. And I thought it should be taught to every student that comes. You know, I never talked to my children about this experience because I was so ashamed. But with the museum, now I, I feel that I should talk about it, everybody should know about it. That it should never be repeated, and especially after 9/11, they were talking about the Arab Americans being put into these... and that should never happen again. I think the museum's purpose is so great. It's so important.

MA: Well, thank you so much. That's a great message to end on. So thank you for, for this interview. It's been a wonderful, wonderful story.

YA: You're welcome. And I hope... thank you.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.