<Begin Segment 33>

TI: Well, I have to say, you did a really good job of articulating this. I think this is by far the best I have in terms of, not just looking at the, as a resister story, but really as a civil rights story, so this was excellent. Jim, before we end, though, any other questions, closing questions?

JG: One of the things -- well I guess I have two questions, and I think they're linked, but before we even started the camera you talked about terminology, resister versus civil rights activist, I guess, and I'm wondering if you could kind of expand on that. I mean, is "resister" a term that you shy away from?

TH: No, I don't shy away from it, but I think it might be that I don't like to have the conversation or the discussion focus on resisters where the resister is, is just a part of this total civil rights problem. And so that's one of the reasons I, in my mind, when we want to discuss the two, those who served and then those who did not, that we bring up the factor of the civil rights problem. But I think, again, the term resisters, I think was sort of modified when people threw in the resisters of conscience and that, that put a completely, a slightly different flavor to the idea of resister. I think... then also, I think there is now a push for clarification of the use of words and the meaning, like the things like relocation camp, concentration camp, and so what was the camp itself? And again, we can go with, to your term of resisters and what were they? Were (they) draft dodgers (...) or really resisters of conscience or really the end product of a civil rights push? And so this is where, at least, I come from. So I, people say "resisters," I'd say alright, that gives me an entry point into discuss and really see what was going on.

JG: As Japanese American history -- and this is my last question -- as Japanese American history unfolds and maybe even twenty years from now, as this story continues to deepen, I'm wondering, I mean, you've spoken to this quite a bit, but even being more specific, what would you like to see your legacy as a, as a resister, as a civil rights activist or as a member of the Fair Play Committee, what would you like to see that legacy be in terms of Japanese American history?

TH: Well, again, going back, that we were just part... the whole, total problem, it goes really back as to what was happening to the Japanese since their entry into this country, and there was this, always this push -- in fact, I'll, maybe I'll send you (...) my keynote speech that I made at Manzanar telling the background what was going on, after I did my research, began to see what was going on. But, yeah, that the resisters then really was playing a role in this overall shift, or the push now to become part of America, and can't really think of the words, but still, it's... for me, I think the legacy is that, okay, here's a group, a minority group that came through in history and there was this big upheaval that was really what I call the trip point in the evacuation during World War II, and then from there the 442nd came through and put a whole different viewpoint for the American public to look, and then here underneath is where (we) resisters, pushing civil rights. And I think eventually they'll say, yeah, okay, we're, we're now seeing the evolution or the evolve of the changes within the Japanese American population. And the other factor of this happening, which is kind of an aside, is the quick or the rapid dissemination of the Japanese American, the out, out-marriages that's going on. And I don't know, probably in the, maybe in less than a generation from now, we may see the real, what you might call the core of the Japanese American, the Sanseis, the Yonseis dispersing in, into the American population. But they can then carry the story of who they were, as to what happened along... and that's what I like to see.

JG: That's great. Thank you.

TI: So, Takashi, thank you so much. This was an excellent interview.

TH: Okay, you're welcome. Thank you. I hope, I was hoping that I'd do at least a decent job.

TI: No, you did a fabulous job.

JG: This was a great interview. You did much better than that.

<End Segment 33> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.