<Begin Segment 18>

TI: So now you. So now you were in Poston, went to school, lots of Japanese Americans, now initially returned back to San Diego. How was it for you in terms of being accepted back into your community in San Diego?

RO: We weren't accepted, our family. We went back to the church and I had a very close dear friend who lived at the corner of our block, the Davis'. And he was a tall six foot something policemen and it was terrible coming back because this one time... I don't know if I've mentioned this before.

TI: No, you should tell me. You've mentioned it before, but tell me now.

RO: Okay, my father and I were returning from some place, we were in this old 1930s car. And we were in the alleyway because my father had to park in the garage and that was the only way to get there. And as he was driving a little puppy ran out into the alley. My father slammed on the brakes, fortunately didn't hit the dog, but the owner came out with a rifle and aimed it at my dad and you know, it's just like, I was so terrified. I went running home and my mother in her typical... she was having her devotions or something. Anyway, I ran and asked Mr. Davis to come and fortunately he was off duty. So he came over and calmed the guy down, the dog was still alive, my father hadn't hit it but that was very frightening for me. I was nine, ten years old. And that was one incident where Mr. Davis came to our rescue. Another time at school in the fourth grade at the Stockton grammar school, we were the only Japanese American family at that school and one recess, some kids started to spit at me and throw rocks at me and it was like I was scared and I went running between the two... there were these barrack-like bungalows and there was a fence, I got trapped between the two barracks and the fence. And these kids were throwing rocks and spitting and I was horrified, terrified. And Carolyn saw me, Mr. Davis' daughter, she was a year younger than me but a head taller than me. And she came running over and did an eagle spread to protect me and she ordered the other kids to get away and maybe they knew she was a policemen's daughter, I don't know, but I remember he coming to my rescue. So memories of Mr. Davis helping us and Carolyn personally helping me was something that I have to this day been so grateful. In fact, a few years ago I tracked Carolyn down, found her, called her up and had a conversation with her and thanked her. Of course, that was so long ago.

TI: Did she remember those incidences?

RO: I can't recall now whether she remembered the eagle spread and helping but if I recall she does remember how her dad had to help us. I am eternally grateful for her help and it was because of what the Davis' did for me, for our family and for me personally with Carolyn, when the civil rights act was being debated in Congress, '63. '64, I did whatever I could. I've marched, I've done everything I could to support, just to thank the Davis'. I don't know what we would've done if they hadn't been there to protect us. And I was a little upset that the Japanese American community didn't seem... I mean, there were pockets of support for the civil rights and for the African Americans' circumstances. But you have to experience that personally to understand, although I'm sure people abstractly can understand it, but for me it was like Japanese Americans can't sit on their hands about this, you know. It's too important. We had people who supported us, supported the community even. So I was really upset when Hayakawa did what he did, Senator Hayakawa was like, "Go back to your country." Anyway....

TI: No, I agree, I mean, I think of, especially when you think about what happened to our community, the Japanese community, and in some ways if more people had been there to support us it wouldn't have happened. And when I hear Japanese Americans say, "Well, this should never happen again," the way it never happens again is that we need to speak out when these things happen.

RO: That's right, absolutely.

TI: That we can't just intellectually say, "Oh, that's bad." I mean, we need to be out there more.

RO: We need to physically be out there marching, we need to go to hearings we need to do whatever it takes to support the minorities who are being threatened.

TI: No, I agree. As an interviewer I'm not supposed to say those things. [Laughs]

RO: That's okay. [Laughs]

TI: It came out, you brought that out of me.

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.