Densho Digital Archive - Toru Sakahara - Kiyo Sakahara Interview II (denshovh-storu

<Begin Segment 36>

DG: How, when did the Japanese Community Service reactivate?

TS: I don't, I don't have a recollection for a precise year. I remember when in the late '40s, I got involved with the reactivation of JACL that led to motivating a young people's service group. And that led to Mr. Mihara going ahead with the reactivation of the former Japanese Association, which ended up being the Seattle Japanese Community Service, an organization of community service activities.

DG: Now there's something to do with the name. Tell me about that.

TS: Well, as I recall it, there were some feelings, especially on my part, to reorganizing the Japanese Association. I felt it had too much overtones of too direct a control by government influences of Japan. Anyway, I have claim some of the blame for using of the name Japanese Community Service.

DG: Wasn't there something that legally you were not able to name it something that had Japan connotation to it?

TS: No, not that I remember.

DG: Was there any reason because of the Japanese people, or because your, of how it looked in the hakujin community?

TS: Well, I really... my memory is very vague, but I do recall my dad telling me about some of his experiences in internment, particularly in Missoula, Montana, Ft. Missoula, Montana. And I remember that he had a cot near Mr. Mihara's cot and he would remember daily and frequent conferences of the Japanese Association Board and officer members gathering at Mr. Mihara's bed, discussing various activities. And I had the impression that Mr. Mihara kept his personal leadership contacts with the Seattle cohorts alive during his period of detention and their detention, and upon their return when he felt that the time was ripe, he called a meeting of his cohorts and we ended up with a community association. And as far as I could tell, he was very careful to include younger generation, particularly Niseis who were presumably responsible leaders in the community to become members of his organization, which became the Japanese Community Service, so that he could claim that he, as president, represented a service organization representing all people in the city of Seattle of Japanese descent. And I think he was a remarkable person in being able to analyze the community situation to make sure that the organization, at least on the face of it, was a organization of which, both by nationality and citizenship, were members in terms of nationality and citizenship of the United States. So that it was an American Japanese community organization.