<Begin Segment 12>

TI: You know, in these early months coming back to Portland, did you ever have any events or incidents of people not liking Japanese?

MN: I think, actually, they sort of might look at you, but they just left you alone. But I know one time while standing beside, hanging onto the bar, and these two women were conversing, talking, and it seemed rather unpleasant. And I decided, well, that's enough of that. I'm not going to say anything, but I sort of gave them a stare, and they finally realized I was kind of, I heard everything that they were saying, so they finally stopped talking. But other than that, I would say that people treated me fairly and well, and I was very fortunate in my employment and everything that everybody was very kind.

TI: Going back to these two women, so where were you when this happened?

MN: Oh, on the bus. I was getting ready to go to work. I had my suit that I bought in Twin Falls when I was preparing to go, and I had my suit on and my heels on, my gloves, and I don't know if I had a hat on or what. But anyway, I was dressed for work. And that's when it happened, on the bus.

TI: And do you recall what they were saying that made you upset?

MN: Not really. But probably commenting on me, and probably was wondering what I was doing. Because this is during the war, and it hadn't ended yet, and here I was, I didn't have a pin saying I'm not... that kind of thing.

TI: But that would take quite a bit of courage from you to kind of stare them down. I think lots of people would have maybe just ignored them, but you stared them down.

MN: Well, I didn't think that was right. I felt that we were as good as anybody else. My dad, I think, kind of instilled in us to stand up for yourself. Nobody else is going to do it for you, you have to do it for yourself. And I just didn't feel it was right for someone to act that way, especially if I'm in hearing distance, I'm standing right there. The buses used to have seats and those bars to hang on to, and, well, there wasn't any seat, so I was standing and going to work, and they were saying these things. I don't know how derogatory or whatever it was, but it sort of, I sort of kind of felt sorry for them. I thought, "Gee, ladies, I mean, what are you thinking?" They're not thinking, in fact. And especially saying things, right when the person is standing there that could hear you. And I just had to finally, just made up my mind, take a stand. I had kind of, I think, growing up by myself, and I had to take things, do things for myself and everything. I think that maybe prepared me for this particular incident. 'Cause I didn't feel... I felt I had to do something.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2014 Densho. All Rights Reserved.