Densho Digital Repository
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Wilbur Sato Interview
Narrator: Wilbur Sato
Interviewer: Brian Niiya
Location: Los Angeles, California
Date: February 4, 2019
Densho ID: ddr-densho-1000-455-14

[Correct spelling of certain names, words and terms used in this interview have not been verified.]

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BN: Well, let's maybe talk about JACL, because I know you got active in JACL about this time, or maybe a little bit later.

WS: All about the same time, right? I was trying to organize all kinds of stuff.

BN: Now, you were from Manzanar, there was this kind of anti-JACL sentiment and so forth, but you had a positive view of JACL at that time?

WS: Well, I know I enjoyed it, yeah. And... what's his name? What's the guy? He was the president at East L.A.

BN: Before you? Edison.

WS: Edison.

BN: Yeah, Edison Uno.

WS: And then I followed him. I joined about the same time, and when he was president, and I followed him as president.

BN: Do you remember what kinds of things that you were involved with with JACL?

WS: Civil rights, probably. I think during that time, we were trying to get JACL to become active in local politics, take issue and take a stand on issues. That's what we did.

BN: Did they, or was there resistance to that?

WS: Yeah, they didn't do that, so we tried to get them to do that, to take positions on local issues.

BN: Do you remember what some of the issues were at that time?

WS: No.

BN: I think also about during this time, there was a group of Issei organized to support Ed Roybal. Do you remember, can you talk a little bit about that?

WS: No. I stopped by, just joined that group.

BN: Because he was East L.A., right? So that was part of your, that was your area?

WS: All those things in the past. I'd do all those things, it was good.

BN: Now, somehow in here you also met and you got married, you met your wife. How did you meet your wife and what was her name?

WS: Rosie. Well, I knew her sister in Iowa. And then her sister told me to look her up when I came out here, and she was going to nursing school, and so I met her. So I know her sister real well from Iowa.

BN: Was she also going to school?

WS: She was going to County nursing school. I think it became a nursing... I don't know.

BN: Did she become, actually work as a nurse?

WS: Yeah, RN.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2019 Densho. All Rights Reserved.