<Begin Segment 49>

DG: How could you work so hard for the community when they did all these things to you?

RM: You mean, after -- it has to be after. Well, I guess I didn't hold any real bad feeling against it. And they asked me if I would do it and so I did it.

DG: What would you like your children and grandchildren to know about yourself as a Japanese American or does it matter that you're Japanese American?

RM: No, we're proud of it.

DG: That's good.

RM: But I don't know. Just do what's right anyways.

DG: So that's the advice you would give your grandkids?

RM: Yeah, do whatever you feel is right, you know.

DG: What happens when there is adversity like you faced?

RM: As long as you know you're doing the right thing, I think.

DG: What about when people come at you with guns?

RM: Well, I guess you got to shoot them back. [Laughs] No, I don't know whether, it just got to that point.

DG: Would you do anything different now?

RM: No, I don't think so.

DG: So you feel that you did protest to a certain extent.

RM: Oh, yeah.

DG: You just didn't let them run over you.

RM: No. We did what we could.

DG: Did you get into any physical encounters...

RM: No.

DG: ...doing this?

RM: No.

DG: It was mostly your negotiating skills.

RM: Mouth to mouth.

DG: Well, thank you very much.

RM: Yeah.

DG: It's an important story.

RM: I hope I contributed something there, but... [laughs]

<End Segment 49> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.