<Begin Segment 42>

LH: Well, I just want, I guess, say thank you for the interview. I'm sort of done with my questions. Is there anything else that you'd like to add in terms of, sort of, as way to finish off and talk about what people can learn from this and...

FF: Yeah, I just feel that the reason for my interest in this whole project was -- I'm flattered that Densho Project got me involved. But I think the whole issue is to say that many of us, I'm sure Niseis who have, would have an opportunity to talk and to contribute to say, to other Nikkei population -- whether young or old -- that we got a lot more to, that we have contributed more than people realize. Plus our isms are, that we all have older and the younger Nisei I think have been a plus for the younger Nikkei kids, who are independent and who make decisions on their own. But we gotta let them make the decisions on their own based on what they hear from us, but if we don't contribute to that issue of what's important and historically in the past, we are kidding ourselves by saying, "Suppress it and forget it," 'cause we don't want, and it's bad memories. Hey, bad memories can be a plus, too. And I think this issue about internment camps and about the psychological impact has left upon Nikkeis -- I like to think there's a lot of us Niseis who've been in the different levels of experience of what they have to offer to their kids and to the younger Nikkei population. Hey, that history is key. I think it's to be proud of, because I still feel that proudness, even of the younger ones, because I see the younger ones more adjusted. They don't have a lot of cultural hang-up, but then I wish they sort of would, but then I think you can't have no control over that. I think you do it the way each parent would want you to be.

But this kind of a project would probably lend itself for better educational media to, to get across to the younger folks for history purpose, or for referral, for making their way through the cobwebs of their life. And I think when I hear my brothers and people that I've met who have been in camp incarcerated in different camps -- 'cause Tule Lake, as you know, had people from all the different camps, Granada, Poston, Heart Mountain, Topaz. All those different camps, and I got to know many of them and they have different slants and different ideas, and different sadnesses, different impact on their life. And I met some even after camp, and when I went for Tule Lake reunion in the '70s it was amazing. Some are real bitter, some are ultra bitter, some are so-so, some want to forget. And I don't know how to deal with that issue, how to reach those people. But for even the ones who are bitter, if we as a composite program of what Densho's offering them -- if they could see that and learn from that, I think that would be great, because it might relieve them of some of the hang-ups they have, because they were... as much as you may have been insignificant, I think you could still teach your kids humility and be proud and all kind of things about the cultural differences of what Japanese Americans are all about. So I just hope that this vehicle would be a way to reach the Nikkeis really, that's just... whether through this media or just through workshop, conferences, I don't know. But I'm happy. I'm happy to be part of it. But whether to say how it will affect or to be used, you never know. But I think this is the right direction and I think... 'cause like the people you will be interviewing, I'm sure, are gonna have different philosophies, slants, background and, which makes it nice. So anyways, thank you for letting me be part of this whole scenario here.

LH: Well, thank you for helping us out, and we appreciate it.

FF: Thank you.

LH: Thank you.

<End Segment 42> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.