<Begin Segment 6>

BF: Have you thought about -- I mean, it sounds like you're someone who looks at situations and learns from them, takes the good, tries to absorb it, looks at the bad and tries to never, not do that, and --

TM: Well, I'm not a book...

BF: Do you feel like you learned?

TM: ...book-learner, so I -- that's the only way I know how to do it.

BF: So do you think -- I mean, were there -- I mean, I don't want to put you on the spot, but were there other groups that you thought, that's not the way to go, or are there lessons that you remember learning about why the I.D. was, was doing well in this Model Cities program, but other communities weren't?

TM: Well, you know, I, I try not to dwell on what other people have or have not done. I just made that as a comment. But I think a couple things that I have personally tried to push, and that was probably through my business experience and having served on maybe other than International District or Nikkei community. But one thing I always push is to have a very good executive director. And when you look back on most small organization, doesn't even have to be Asians or minority, but -- and I'll use JACL as a good example -- is they have never committed to paying the proper wages and whatever it takes to get a quality person. And it's not only money, but the point is, the Niseis have -- I'll use that as an example, and I'm sure this is true with a lot of smaller, emerging organizations. Some way they just, I mean, to give the new director responsibility or -- and it's not only wages, but recognition and, and concern about their welfare. But they just say, we're going to pay only X dollars, and they just say -- if we find somebody, great. If we don't, they don't go out of their way and says, well, "Becky," -- it's not only money -- "what do you need out of this?" What can you get out of this? I don't think -- I think we're trying to do that within the various organizations I've been involved with. And I'll be very frank. I'm not promoting the top dollar because I, you have to balance the budget. But there's ways you could give people responsibility and other compensation. And I think organizations that came back -- I don't know if that's what you asked. If they have not succeeded is, I think, part of that reason.

BF: Yeah. I think a lot of organizations serving the community think you should do so just out of commitment or altruism. And sometimes they expect that and don't really reward the people.

TM: And the, getting back to Nikkei. They have done well in the churches and Nikkeijinkai and whatever without paid staff. So it's a mindset. But as you move forward, you have to think, is that the way you're going to do it? And I'm going to say no, because you can't do this with bake sales anymore. You can't. But that's the unfortunate problem, that not only Nikkei organization, but some small organizations within our district or any other organizations trying to do something have not been able to accomplish, I think.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.