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SY: So what is, what role do you play now with the JACL? What do, what...

NG: Well, I still feel we provide those kinds of cultural and civil rights, we bring out, I think, all the civil rights issues that no -- the CC, CC is, our community center is like the umbrella. They, there's an athletic program that's part of the CC, and there's a senior group that provides all the things for the seniors. And they do, they are, because it all depends on the leadership, but if there's a certain leader then they do provide the cultural, but for the most part our, to me, JACL has the interest and the focus, 'cause that's our focus, is civil rights and cultural awareness, and that's why I continue to stay, 'cause I think that's important.

SY: So they, in some, in a lot of ways they've become more progressive over the years, your particular chapter. Or do you think JACL as a whole has become more progressive?

NG: I think we're, we, because of the leaders we've had, like Paul Tsuneishi was like, when the redress movement started, I mean, it was Paul, Phil and Sue that started that, but it was really Paul who organized that EO 9066, so --

SY: Group, this is a separate group from --

NG: Right, because JACL was, they're so conservative they didn't, so... but of course, we still, even though we were separate, we still knew that JACL was important. And maybe they couldn't initiate, they couldn't do that, but they were certainly supportive.

SY: So when you joined, then that whole issue was just starting to become apparent. And did you feel that you took sides, or did you, how, what position did you take?

NG: Well, first, I think it started, well the, in 1976, this was, yeah, 1976 was when Richard Yamauchi was our president, and he was still a student, and so he told us about the Manzanar pilgrimage and that we as a chapter should participate. And they had, this was their seventh pilgrimage, so it's been a while, and so we got a, Paul got us a free bus from the city and it was packed, and it was all Issei, Niseis, Sanseis, and Yonseis on that bus. It was absolutely the best. Was a lot of sharing that Phil did and -- Phil Shigekuni and Paul Tsuneishi did -- it was really a really good trip, and we had a lot of, big group of Isseis that went. But -- I told you this, right? It was, okay, there was a windstorm and they did not get off the bus. It was so, so terrible, and I had said they only got out to see Wendy Yoshimura. [Laughs]

SY: Who was the speaker.

NG: But anyway, I came back really motivated from that trip, thinking that this is, we have to do this every year. And I knew that we couldn't afford it. People will pay to go out there to the desert, so my cousin and I, we started, and with JACL's help, we started a Manzanar Bus Fund, so that when we had bake sales and whatever. So there was always money to fund a bus, so we went for twenty years.

SY: Twenty years you took the...

NG: Yeah, we took that.

SY: That group. And you were pretty much in charge of that, then.

NG: Yeah, so Yas and I were in charge of the bus. And it, I mean, after umpteen years you just kind of... and I never -- okay, so then the redress movement started -- we never thought it was gonna happen, but we knew the education had to be there, and so the first thing they did was put out that questionnaire to see what the community thought. 'Cause everybody, I mean, Phil went to the VFW, he went to West L.A. JACL, they said forget it, nobody, we're all fine now. But then when Rafu did that survey and the people said they want individual compensation, individual reparation, redress, then I said okay, that's what we need to work on 'cause that's what, this is what we have to do. And I, and they worked very hard and they worked with JACL, they worked with Mineta, and I remember, and we went to a lot of fundraisers, and I remember when Phil came back and said, "They're not gonna go with the redress. They're gonna go with this commission." And I remember being so angry. You know, there's JACL again. They just can't put their foot out, can't do the right thing. But you know, that was the best thing that ever happened because it really is not the money. It's really the education, and that, those commission hearings was an eye opener for everybody, and it made people like my mom and dad who never said anything, not sharing... so it was, it would've, it had to be that way, I think.

<End Segment 30> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.