<Begin Segment 12>

TI: Now was there any events or incidences as you were training that people maybe were concerned that you were Japanese when they were getting treated or anything? Was that ever a problem?

ES: Yes. There was a quite a bit of problems. There was a lot of prejudice.

TI: To the point where some people would refuse to have you as a nurse?

ES: That's right.

TI: And how did, how did that make you feel? What was your reaction to that?

ES: Well, we just, the nurses worked it out for us. The supervisors worked it out with us, and this, we'll just say, well, that's okay. We'll just go. They don't know any better. That was always their explanation. We'll just do it this way. But it wasn't with the girls in training; it was with patients. And then once in a while we'll be -- well, this one man, he says, "Well, you're a Jap. Well, I don't need you." And so I said, "Okay, I'll just go out, tell the supervisor," and that was that. But you get used to that.

TI: And how frequently would this happen? Would it be pretty...

ES: Well, it wasn't too often. But we did see it even after we got out of training and I was working in a doctor's office. We'll have a visitor coming into town and they're having car trouble or somebody's sick on the way through, going through the town, and there was a Japanese doctor, Dr. Kanda, in Sumner, and somebody referred this party to the doctor's office and he said, "Well, you're a Jap. I don't want you." Then, "Is there another doctor's office?" and so they referred it to the doctor's office that I was working in, and so I happened to run into him. And he just says, "You're a Jap too?" And I said, "I'm Japanese American." He says, "Well, what can you do for me?" And I had just heard from a phone call or something that so-and-so is coming and so be ready, and so I said, "Okay, I don't have to take care of you." There were only two of us. So then they took care of this patient, but they don't know you so you just have to accept that fact, and they're traveling through town, you're a "Jap." They have some bad experiences with somebody in the family that was killed by a Japanese.

TI: So this was maybe during or after the war?

ES: After the war.

TI: During this time when you were getting training, were there any other races that were also training, like whether they're Filipino or Chinese or...

ES: There was a Chinese nurse that came in soon after I did, and we got along very well. But by that time I think as long as we're nurses we're fine, but it's the patients that once in a while you have to be careful. But it's not unusual. It's, and we have to accept it, I guess, and educate them.

TI: Well, and do your job too, I guess.

ES: Sure. That's right.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright &copy; 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.