<Begin Segment 31>

SY: This was actually right, so this was right about the time that the redress movement was starting.

RN: Yeah, actually, we did, Karen wrote a play called... anyway, she wrote a play specifically addressing redress. 'Cause everyone was concerned that the commission hearings was coming to Los Angeles, but a lot of us were afraid that Niseis wouldn't show up to testify. So we did a lot of things to kind of, hopefully kind of break the ice. And so she did a play, and I'm trying to think of... Truth of the Matter. So she wrote this play and I directed it, and it had... let's see. Akemi Kikumura was in it... I'm sorry, I'm missing all the people.

SY: Did you do it for East West Players?

RN: We used a lot of East West Players and I can't remember -- Mako was in it, I can't remember the names, I feel awful.

SY: And that's where it was produced?

RN: No, we didn't produce it there, we produced it in... well, we rehearsed in Senshin Temple, and then we did the performance as a fundraiser at, I think it was Long Beach, Camp Long Beach, you've seen Long Beach. But we did it with the idea of loosening everyone up and getting them interested in coming to the hearing. So there was a lot events centered on that, so we did Truth of the Matter.

SY: So you were involved in the whole redress movement?

RN: Only like with VC documenting it when it came here. Although I wasn't really an active member of VC, but I know I shot everything, all the stills for the hearings here. And we did the play, and as it turned out, we probably didn't have to do any because people just showed up and we couldn't, in many cases they had to stop them testifying. It was just all coming out.

SY: And do you remember what you were feeling leading up to all of that? Besides the fact that you thought people wouldn't testify?

RN: Well, it was part of the redress movement, and I was kind of surprised we even got that, we're getting Niseis interested that far. And I thought that was a milestone of having that congressional hearing.

SY: So you were in favor of this committee hearing.

RN: Yeah, oh, yeah, 'cause that allowed people to vent out there if we could get them to come.

SY: So it was, you chose to do it through, to help through art by doing the play.

RN: Yeah.

SY: Not so much being a member of NCRR?

RN: No, no, I'm terrible at that kind of stuff.

SY: That's very nice that you were able to do that. And then your parents were still around when redress happened?

RN: Yeah.

SY: And what was that like, their reaction and their feelings about it?

RN: My folks aren't that political per se. My mom really didn't understand the camp, bringing up the camp experience and whatnot.

SY: She wasn't negative about it?

RN: Oh, she wasn't negative, but I don't think she kind of really understood what was happening. Except for the $20,000, which she thought was great. But yeah...

SY: So they were pleased when they finally, when it finally came?

RN: I think my dad was more pleased about bringing up the camp and bad experience that people went through. I don't think my mom quite understood.

SY: And how did you feel when it finally happened?

RN: Well, for me it was the redress hearings that were so interesting, to hear the different stories, kind of repressed stories. That was amazing. And we had documented, VC had documented the whole thing, shot VHS on it. Someone borrowed the whole set and it didn't come back. We have a dupe set on, I don't know what it's on, but we have a dupe set. But the originals were, I don't know who loaned it out to who, but those were kind of gone. But anyway, they have duplicates.

SY: Yeah, that was pretty amazing that you were able to document it. And you actually shot it? So you were the person...

RN: Yeah, I shot the stills.

SY: Oh, you shot stills.

RN: Yeah. No, we had three cameras going. I forgot who was shooting, but we had three cameras.

SY: And the stills are all archived now with the...

RN: Actually, I have 'em. 'Cause I wasn't a member of VC then, so I shot 'em.

SY: Any plans to do anything with them?

RN: I was gonna blow up some for this last exhibit, but I didn't get a chance to look at 'em all. But I have them all archived and put away.

SY: So photography's still a big interest of yours?

RN: Yeah. It's more interesting now that I can use darkroom at the museum. Before it was hard to do any black and white, unless you did it digitally, and I don't care for it.

SY: You prefer black and white?

RN: Yeah, yeah.

<End Segment 31> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.