<Begin Segment 46>

DG: Okay. And then you told me about the board arranging for you to make a tour with you and Nora, the black lady. (Narr. note: Nora Hatter)

MH: Yeah, yeah. Japanese Women's Society, American Women's Society, all the women's society, the Baptist, had lady's, you know. And Violet Rudd is head of women's society. She was also minister once at the Baptist Church, but she is a woman, so very difficult so she quit the ministry and then because of the Baptist Women's Society head. And then she organized the interracial group. That mean the Chinese school teacher, the black Mount Zion Church's secretary, and I am, and then Ms. Violet Rudd and then we went to eighty-three, eighty-six... I forgot. More than eighty times in three years, all churches. I talked about evacuation problem.

DG: What you did you say about the evacuation?

MH: I don't really remember any more. Not only evacuation. You know, my husband passed away, those things, and the children's problem and show time have to tell. The people likes to hear that so I told it. And then also black lady, very good for the vocals, so I accompanied the piano solo. And then the Chinese lady talked about the Chinese problem, and then black lady talked about the black community problem to the church ladies.

DG: Do you remember something about what they said, and how did you feel as far as being Japanese?

MH: Some of the ladies came to me and said, "You said about camp, but my relative working in camp that time. And then he said that they did so much for Japanese," and then, "You don't know it." And angry at me, but I didn't see that American people in the camp, Amache. There are district, Caucasian district. And then they eat very good and then Japanese people is servant for them. Not they came to Japanese to help. I said, "I don't know." And then they are some of them mad at me. But I don't know. They went back to tell those people probably.

DG: Did you tell about the, your things being taken and...

MH: For the community people?

DG: Uh-huh.

MH: Yes. A little bit, but not too much about that. Most they want to hear the camp.

DG: So did you get some -- where did you go? Like eighty-six churches all around Washington?

MH: Yes. Not only Washington, I went to San Francisco, too.

DG: Oh, okay. Idaho? Oregon?

MH: Yes.

DG: How did you go?

MH: I don't know. Those things by Ms. Rudd decided or goes to all the churches so...

DG: And so this was during the time that you still lived at the parsonage, and did you leave your children with your mother? Is that...

MH: Yeah. Parsonage and also went to Beacon Hill, too.

DG: Oh, and you were still traveling around.

MH: And then most of the time, Reverend Andrews would to drive. Reverend Andrews had a black, blue car or something. Older car.

DG: Called the blue bus?

MH: Blue bus, that one.

DG: Were people -- some people were angry, but were a lot of people surprised about what happened?

MH: Yes, surprised. And then, you know, from Japanese communities none of those spy or something against America came out. We told them none. And then they are really surprised and then some of them felt so bad about it. Some of them. [Laughs]

<End Segment 46> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.