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BN: What prompted you to ask questions, or how did you learn about the whole history part?

DA: Well, that came, I think, when I started going to UCLA.

BN: Later, uh-huh.

DA: That's when I started hearing from other people about other perspectives. And that's when the whole identity crisis, so to speak, started raising its head. And the Civil Rights Movement was happening at the time, Chicano Power was happening, and Black Power was happening, all this upheaval was, particularly started going on when I hit college. So those were the kind of times, so then I started going and talking with my mom and dad about how do they feel, what's going on, discussions about what the "establishment" was and, "Why are you rebelling against the establishment?" So we'd have talks about that, and yeah, it was good.

BN: That you at least were able to have those ties which a lot of people did not.

DA: Not a lot of agreement there from my dad. He was pretty steadfast in his views. I could see where I put myself in my dad's shoes back in those days, here's his son he sends off to college that he thought would be so radical. Because I think I told you, my first week back was --

BN: Yeah, you should tell the story.

DA: Wanted to go to Berkeley, and they put their foot down, they did not want me to go to Berkeley because that's where the riots were happening and all the smokers were happening and the "flower power" was happening. So I went to UCLA and the same thing kind of happened anyways, in a way.

BN: Sent you to UCLA to avoid Berkeley and you end up working on Gidra.

DA: Right. [Laughs]

BN: And one last thing before we get to the UCLA years is I did want to ask you about your mom's community work also. Because, as I said, we did interview your mom, but it pretty much cuts off. Because her war, her camp story is, there's so much, it kind of just ends there, so she doesn't talk much about the postwar. So I wonder if you could talk just a little bit about some of the stuff she was involved with in Montebello particularly.

DA: Well, as you know, my dad was an insurance agent and my mom didn't work. I think back then, that was very typical. And so we were raised with the idea of giving back to the community, and so because of that, I think there was a group of women, including my mom, that formed this, what was called the Montebello Women's Club. In fact, pretty much all Nisei women from back in the day, which includes Sakaye Aratani and the Kawaguchis and, well, most of the, a lot of Nisei women, Linda Fujioka, Mitzi Miya, anyways, they would put on functions, raise money, and give it away. And it just kind of depends on what entity that they felt they needed help with. So a lot of what they did was, I think they helped raise money for the VFW. They also helped with raising money for Nisei Week. They helped out at certain churches as well. So that would keep her busy, that part of her social life. Anyways, that sort of thing. She also was very instrumental at temple, at Koyasan.

BN: Did they remain members throughout...

DA: My mom did. And my uncle Stogie and that family, they were members of the board forever. In fact, my cousin is still helping out at Koyasan, helping to keep the legacy going. Because my grandfather, my mom's dad, like I said, followed, I believe Sogabe-sensei here, and was on the board from day one and was very... and so a Kanogawa was on that Koyasan board for, maybe 'til now. So we're talking about seventy years now? Still active.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.