<Begin Segment 31>

TI: You mentioned earlier about, sort of keeping these memories fresh, because you volunteer at the National Museum, the Japanese American National Museum. When did you start doing that?

CS: Oh, I've been asked to be a volunteer for a long time. I kept saying, "No." And then the museum put on this Boyle Heights exhibit, and Dr. Sojin Kim called me and said, "I understand you lived in Boyle Heights. Do you have any photographs or albums about it?" And I said, "Yeah." So they had a big session at Roosevelt High School auditorium. Everybody brought material to contribute, and that was that. And then they opened up this exhibit, and she called me again. I says, "Hey, you lived in Boyle Heights and we need some docents to explain the story to the guests." So I said, "Okay." And first thing I know, I became a permanent docent. [Laughs]

TI: And what was the reaction of the museum when they heard about the story of the 1800? Did they want to do anything with that story?

CS: Oh, no. They put it into the display. When I first joined the -- that's troublemaker me -- when I joined the museum, it was all 442. And then they, and I didn't expect to say anything, but they came out with a letter (about a) suggestion box. "We'd like to have suggestions from everybody, how to improve our..." oh, I said, "This is the opening." So I says, "You wanted suggestions, here's an opinion. Your display is too one-sided. There's nothing about the resisters." So they put in some of it, but they still haven't put in all. They're going to revamp the whole program in two years. And I hope they put more about the renunciants and the "no-nos" in there, tell both sides of the story. Did you know, I had a big controversy when I made a speech at the Smithsonian.

TI: No, I haven't heard about that. What was that controversy?

CS: Well, I made a talk about -- I'm going to send the... they had a publicity saying, about the other two speakers, but they didn't say anything about my talk about the 1800. So I wrote to Uchida of the memorial there.

TI: Craig Uchida.

CS: And just blasted him, saying, "You still continue to just favor the 442 and all that, and nothing about the camp and military resisters." And from there, had many exchanges, and finally it was settled, and they're changing. In fact, the last e-mail I got is that, "We're changing our website so that we'll start including all the stories." 'Cause the veterans will go on and just talk about 442, nothing about the whole story of what happened during the war. So it's a long one, but I'll send it to you. You got your e-mail address?

TI: Yeah, I'll give that to you. So you've been... I'm trying to think of the right word, but sort of really instrument in getting people like the other groups to acknowledge the story of the 1800, including the National Museum, you mentioned they're now...

CS: Yeah, especially a book came out last year, so that helped. In fact, we're having one, the MIS is having one in December and January, dedication for that MIS building in the Presidio. So I've been, Shirley and I are supposed to go and talk about army resisters.

TI: Good.

<End Segment 31> - Copyright © 2009 Densho. All Rights Reserved.