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TI: You know, I'm curious, so you've done this for, I mean, 1991, so that's twenty years ago.

JY: Twenty years, yeah.

TI: Halfway through that, 9/11 happened, September 11, 2001, the terrorists attacked in Twin Towers and the Pentagon. How did that event come into play for the pilgrimage? Did that event or the circumstances ever come up?

JY: I think the event, I don't know if I told you, one time or another about the "Nosei" group, the hapa group. But they don't belong nowhere, so they call themselves "Noseis." And then too many Sanseis want to join that group, so it kind of fell apart because they said, "Noseis" would say, "You don't live our lives, you don't know what it means to be a hapa," right? "You're pureblood Japanese, and sure, you lost some of your rights and this and that, but still, inside of you, as you walk out of the door, you don't understand our feelings." And so it kind of fell apart. But anyway, I was sort of like their advisor to them. One of them asked me to be advisor, "Sure, I'll help you guys. Sure can." And they had the first meeting of the Muslim groups, and December the 7th, Pearl Harbor Day at San Francisco's Peace Plaza. And they asked different people to speak and then most of 'em refused. Majority of 'em, all of them refused. They asked me, I said, "Sure, I'll speak for you." So I spoke on the behalf of the Muslim people, not to judge the people by their looks like we were judged by our looks. That's the reason why we were put in the camp, and we were there for four years and so forth. And then few other times I spoke up for them, and they had a party one time, and there was a thousand people there. And they, the national Muslim organization gave me a plaque, peace plaque, and they stood up and gave me a standing ovation. I didn't do nothing. But he spoke up for us and made us happy because I would just tell you, "Don't worry. Sure, you look like a Muslim, but you're not... you're yourself. Be yourself, don't be afraid." So I think something like that makes you feel good that at least you've got your word across to tell the people, fight for it.

TI: And what similarities do you see the Muslims going through now that you had to go through as a Japanese American?

JY: Because they look like, Muslims look like the terrorists, right? They got beard, and now they don't wear them, before they used to have a lot of turbans, and the clothes, and the women wear their local clothes more so. I think just be like an American and look like an American and act like an American, then nobody can really pick on you. Because you're an American, you're born here. Just don't get all shook up because they're after you. Sure, they were after us, but how far they got? Sure, they talked, they're gonna ship us all over or kill us, all of us, so what? I think, I tell everybody, you got to know the culture of the people, their background, then you will never get mad at the people, I think. That's the problem. They didn't know our background, our Japanese American background, why we were treated the way we were. I think that's the only thing.

TI: So were you able to bring this connection also to the pilgrimage? You talked about this December 7th event, did it ever come to the Tule Lake pilgrimage?

JY: Yeah, I talked about that. And I talked with many students, upcoming DOR day, I'm supposed to be the speaker, so I'll bring that up. I'm gonna bring the plaque with me to show 'em, "See, this is proof that you don't have to march down the street, up and down." You just talk to people like you talk to everybody else and tell 'em, "Don't be afraid. You're just Americans like we are and anybody else are."

TI: Have Muslims come to the pilgrimage?

JY: Yeah, they come. There was always two or three of 'em always come every year.

TI: And when you talk with them, why do they say they're coming?

JY: No, they're willing to tell their stories, too, and hear our story. They'd like to hear our story. So up to now, they've been, we've been hearing their stories, so this year, Will wants me to talk about our story. So I'll just have, I can unload everything. [Laughs]

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.