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BN: Before we jump to JCCH, I wanted to ask you about, just your knowledge of this time. Because your timing is early, it's like the early 1990s, I guess.

JK: Yeah.

BN: And the redress movement had taken place and there were redress efforts in Hawaii. Because your husband was in camp, how aware were you of those developments? He must have gotten the redress check himself. Were you cognizant of that, or how cognizant were you at that time?

JK: You know, I became aware that he was, because of the check coming, and he did mention, when he got the letter and the check, I recall him mentioning that he appreciated the letter more than the check because it was like a big weight coming off his chest. "Because the President is apologizing to me." But that was the only awareness I had.

BN: So you weren't aware of the Hawaii effort...

JK: Nothing at all, yeah.

BN: But when you came to JCCH, it was all kind of new to you at that point?

JK: Very new, yes. Actually, you know that resource center advisory council that you thankfully sat on, and Tom Coffman and so on? That's what encouraged me when we found out that Honouliuli was not known. And that's what really encouraged me to keep going. Because if people out there didn't know, "didn't know" is close to "didn't care." And when Tom said he was afraid that part of history was going to disappear because no one was picking it up. I realized that it's part of JCCH's mission, and there's going to be this hole in history if we let it go, and that's what kept me going. Because at the beginning when we first started to do the work toward rediscovery, I was being pushed. I didn't know enough to plan ahead. Every so often, I'd get a push, the serendipity.

BN: That happens.

JK: Stuff happens, yeah.

<End Segment 14> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.