Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Frank S. Fujii Interview
Narrator: Frank S. Fujii
Interviewers: Larry Hashima (primary), Beth Kawahara (secondary)
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: September 3 and 5, 1997
Densho ID: denshovh-ffrank-01-0028

<Begin Segment 28>

LH: Well, it sounds like you've got a really sort of strong tie with the Japanese American community, the Nikkei community here in Seattle. And I actually want to jump off on that point, because it's actually a point that people have been bringing up about ethnic communities in cities across the nation -- in terms of how well that sort of helps people, and how much it hinders them from succeeding in sort of "the larger society." How do you feel that this, your contact -- especially after the internment and returning to Seattle -- how the communities have actually helped you or hindered you in any way in terms of...?

FF: I never looked at it that way. I think whatever needs of the community you kinda try to fit in if you can. If I can't, I'm not gonna get into it. A good example would be when Dr. Uyeno talked about the construction of the Keiro nursing home, and he says, "We're gonna have to raise millions, you know." And I'm looking at him thinking, "Well, who's going to do all the work, man?" I ain't, I'm not gonna, I don't have millions or... but then when they outlined the committees and stuff which I got involved in, which is fine, and I think to be part of that kind of a constructive service... there's a lot of the people in the community, young and old, which helped me work with the community and understand. But I think my perspective might be different than the average Nisei because I think, unless you're an educator, and maybe that's just me, but I think there's a tendency to always feel like wanting to educate the other people or wanting to be part of the community, wanting to offer your services, whatever you could do. If I can't do certain things for the community, I'm not going to do it if it's not my bag. In other words, I'm not gonna, I won't care to -- everybody's got their needs and desires and if you want to be president of JACL, you gotta live it, you gotta speak it and play the game, so to speak. That's okay, I think we need that, but that's not my bag. I like to do the background stuff and I'm not trying to be humble, no. I think I'm good in my own ways and I like to feel proud of what I offer and what I do. But the community, yes, right now I think the community has been dispersed because of the age level. I think a lot of the younger Nikkei kids have dispersed, got married, intermarriages. It's sad that that community isn't there anymore like it was. But, you know, this is the 1990s now and I think you gotta go with the changes. And if you could be happy with intermarriages and what have you -- you know, before the war, you think what, you're gonna get married to a what? Chinese or Korean, or white or whatever, this would be a sham like. But now, hey, times change, and some -- my daughter's married to a Caucasian fellow, one of them, and he's a fine human being. And to me, you know, I'm saying hey, to each his own, but then times have changed.

<End Segment 28> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.