<Begin Segment 22>

BN: So how did you start this speaking program that you've become so well-known for?

SM: Yes, that's probably one of the most interesting milestones in my life. I got a call from the people at Heart Mountain. It was in the year 2011, the year that we dedicated the new facility in Heart Mountain. And the call went something like this: we had a request from the Department of Justice, they were holding a conference of lawyers in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and they're looking for a speaker who was in the camp and could talk about what it was like in the camp. So I went... I said sure, I can talk, I can remember a lot of things. I was age nine through twelve, but I hesitated for a moment because it's going to cost money to get from L.A. to Cheyenne. And then the answer came back, "We'll cover all of your expenses." I said, "Okay, I'm your man." I showed up at this conference, it was on the top floor of a federal building in Cheyenne, Wyoming. And I went up to the top floor and I walked in, and there's a room about the size of this room, little bit bigger. And there were about a hundred attorneys in that room. And so I thought for a moment I'd better find out how much they know about what I'm going to talk about. So I started my speech with three questions. "First question, how many of you have heard about the removal of 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry forced into a prison?" A third of them raised their hand. The majority never heard of these camps, lawyers. Said, "Oh, interesting." The second question, "How many of you have heard the name Fred Korematsu?" There were three attorneys, young kids in the back of the room, raised their hand, ninety-seven percent never heard of Korematsu. Last question, "How many of you have heard the name Mitsuye Endo?" Nobody heard of her. And I thought, "This is easy. These people know almost nothing." So I went through my speech and got a nice ovation. Then I found out the lead attorney in that group got on his computer and sent a message to all fifty U.S. attorneys in the country and said, "You got to hear Sam talk." Then I wound up in Washington, D.C., I wound up in San Francisco, in DOJ offices around the country giving a speech. And they all enjoyed it.

Then I went to a teacher's conference and I gave a speech at a national teacher's conference of history teachers, and about a hundred teachers asked me to come to their schools and give a talk, and they all enjoyed it. So that kept on going and growing and as of last months, I have taught over (ninety-five) thousand people about something they knew very little about, and they all enjoyed it, every one of them. And I'm continuing to do that. So I found a new career. I really enjoy doing what I'm doing, I donate all of my speaking fees, and it's really satisfying. It's something I enjoy doing that a lot of people will enjoy learning, and so that's why I'm doing what I'm doing now, really enjoy that very much.

BN: You've mentioned the Heart Mountain Foundation called you, were you already involved with them or did someone know you? How did they know who you were?

SM: I was not very deeply involved. I visited Heart Mountain before the call, they knew who I was. I went to a couple pilgrimages, I remember, so they knew me. And so out of the blue they called me and asked, so that worked out.

BN: So you've kept track of roughly how many people you've spoken to, do you know how many states you've been to or how many engagements you've done?

SM: Yes. I've been to forty-five states.

BN: Wow.

SM: And I'm working on the rest of them until the pandemic hit, and then I've got a couple of them that asked me to come, but the pandemic stopped me. But I'll get to all of them eventually.

BN: I'm sure you know this, but what are the five that you haven't been to?

SM: Well, I've not been to Idaho of all places. They asked me to come, and then the pandemic hit. I have not been to Rhode Island, I've not been to North Carolina. Let's see, I went to Atlanta, and those are some of the ones that stand out in my mind, I haven't been there. I'll get there eventually.

BN: Yes, yeah, okay.

SM: And I have not been to Hawaii. And so I've got to get to Hawaii someday.

BN: Maybe I can help you with that. [Laughs]

SM: I need some help, introduce me. I'd be happy to go to Hawaii. But I've done Europe, I've done France, I've done Spain, on the internet, I've done Japan, I've done Hong Kong.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.