<Begin Segment 8>

TI: Now the house and the church in San Diego. Who took care of it? What happened to that?

RO: The church was leased out or rented out to an African American community church. And so the minister and his family lived in the parish, in the parsonage and then they used the church during the three years.

TI: Okay, that was fortunate to have someone actually watching over the place?

RO: Yes, and there was this one woman, named Mary Griffith who was a Caucasian woman who apparently made sure that all the Japanese Americans were, their possessions were cared for. She took care of my father's church and the possessions.

TI: And so was the church used as a storage facility?

RO: There was a building in the back, it was really a shack but we lived in it after we came back but anyway in that building I think they moved all of our things there or I don't know how, what Mary Griffith did but she made sure that the church member's possessions or especially our family, things were taken care of.

TI: Now I'm curious about the location of the church because you mentioned that the school you went to was half African American and half white. So it sounds like your location wasn't necessarily close to a Japanese community?

RO: No, you're right because at that time most of the Japanese Americans, Japanese Isseis, they were all farmers. So they would come in from the rural countryside to come to church. There were a few families, Japanese American families who either had a store or something like that. There were a few of them in San Diego city but most of the members were out in the countryside. So I remember going with my father on what they call homon, go visit the church members. And long drive out the country.

TI: Now was that similar the Buddhist church in San Diego or was there a kind of a Nihonmachi kind of area in San Diego?

RO: That's a good question. A Nihonmachi I don't... the Buddhist church probably if there was a Nihonmachi it would probably have been started and more cared for by the Buddhist families. And that would interesting to find out if the Buddhist members were more professional than the Japanese who were farmers. There was another Christian church though in San Diego, the congregational church. Reverend Kikuchi I think was his name, I may have the name wrong but there was another Christian church in San Diego. And of course everybody had to leave but for... probably for a lot of the church members who were out, who were farmers, they probably stored their things out there on their farms.

TI: Well, and back to San Diego, I mean, you were probably too young yet but Japanese language school? Was there a Japanese language school for like your older brother later on?

RO: My mother being a teacher tried, really tried to have a Japanese class. We all refused, we said, "No, we're not going to learn Japanese." it was just... oh, my poor mother being a professional teacher couldn't get her own kids to learn to read and write Japanese. It was very frustrating for her.

TI: Good so I can tell people the reason San Diego didn't have a Japanese language school is because Ruth and her siblings refused.

RO: Refused to let her professional mother conduct those classes. [Laughs]

TI: Okay, we'll ask why wasn't there one in San Diego? [Laughs]

RO: I'm sure there was one but we certainly refused to go if there was. My mother tried so hard to teach us.

TI: Okay, I'm just kidding. That just seemed funny.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.