<Begin Segment 38>

MN: Now, during those early years of NCRR, and that was formed in 1981, is that correct?

JM: That's correct.

MN: What did you folks do in the early years of NCRR?

JM: Well, we just were trying to rally community opinion. Because a lot of times, there was no real (support) for redress, in a sense. Many of the Nisei were like, "Oh, you guys are crazy. You're going after your jailers." Or they just said, "I don't have time for this anymore. I have enough bad things in my life. You're just digging things up." Or, "You're nothing but leftist, you're nothing but left-wing Maoists," what have you. And yeah, it was very difficult. We had to do one thing at a time. I think the most difficult thing was I remember going to a house meeting in East L.A., and I had to speak to these Issei ladies in Japanese. My Japanese is, heaven help me. But I was willing to do anything. And I can't say we had an awful lot of help. We were scratching for every inch we can get. It was bit by bit by bit, and we weren't gonna give up. I think the thing that helped an awful lot was the media was essentially lazy. All the TV stations here are within, what, half an hour's proximity to Little Tokyo. They love coming down. They could just come down here, get their story, go back, file it, and they're free. You know what I mean? Their job is done. Whereas if you had something going on on Long Beach, they had to drive twenty miles to get (there) and they, here they love it. Anytime we put out a press release, press conference, they're there. They're like, begging us for the damn thing. And so we really played it well. We got to be experts on how to do press conferences, writing press packets, press releases, having little snacks for everybody, I'm sure you well know. [Laughs] Anytime you came to a NCRR press conference, you were well-treated. Somebody was there that knew what they were talking about, they gave you a press packet, they gave you refreshments and made sure you had the right camera angles, everything, we took care of it. And we knew we were gonna be on the evening news. So I was on there way (too much). I didn't want to be down there, I was on there way too often, because they kept using me because I was in the camps, and I was one of the few who were willing to articulate what our grievances were. And I remember one newscaster saying, "Who put this event together?" And I think it was some other group. And I said, "It wasn't me." He says, "No, I think it was you, 'cause I see you at all these events, and I know it was you doing some of these things." And I said, "Well, this is a nice event, but I can't get credit for it, but thank you anyway." You never argue with the press. [Laughs]

<End Segment 38> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.