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SY: I'm sorry that we can't talk more about your, from your Japanese experience to the present, which is massive, but in your role today as the head of the Little Tokyo Service Center, which is, in a word -- well, maybe you should describe it in a sentence. Can you?
BW: Well, today I think the Service Center is probably the biggest and the most active social service or community service program in southern California, at least for the Japanese American community, but even for the overall Asian American community.
SY: And your being Japanese American, was that, was that a, sort of a thing that prompted you to form the, to become involved and to really help, really start the Little Tokyo Service Center?
BW: Well, some of it was providential. I think I kind of feel like I got placed where I got placed providentially. But I think also growing up and coming to Little Tokyo, I did feel an affinity to Little Tokyo, and then having gone to Japan to study the language somewhat, I felt like I can use my language skills. I had gotten my Masters in Social Work by that time, so I could use my social work degree and experience, and so that, to me, was a coming together of maybe where I could best serve the community. And I think my Christian faith, too, was always about serving the community, helping people. So all of that was kind of a nice fit for my life experience, I think, up to that time.
SY: And did the fact that your parents, your family was in camp, did that have any bearing, was that something that was any kind of motivating factor for you in terms of forming a social service organization?
BW: Not so much directly. I mean, we certainly dealt with people who were devastated by the camps, but not, it was not like an overriding thing. Every now and then you would read about, Mr. So-and-So ever since camp has, became an alcoholic or has been depressed or that kind of thing, but that was not the rule. That was more occasional.
SY: But as far as you personally, was it a motivating factor? Did you feel like, "It's important for me to help others," or did camp have any lessons for you in terms of what your parents went through?
BW: Well, I think it was more kind of a side thing, but it was a clear message that we have to help ourselves. Camp was this clear example that you have to watch out for yourself and you have to take care of your own community.
SY: So when did you first become interested in sort of learning more about your family history? What was, when did that happen?
BW: I think it was just a personal quest. This was before, like, Roots came out, where you want to learn about your heritage, so to me it was more of a personal quest. I knew there were relatives I'd never met. I wanted to learn where the old country was, Fukushima, and where my parents grew up. So I think personal curiosity and wanting to make some connections in my own life about my family's past. Which I did. As soon as I got to Waseda, during our first break I made it a point to go visit my relatives in Fukushima and spent a number of days there visiting them.
SY: So we're really, I know we're skipping a lot, but again, when you started this organization, when you really almost, I mean, you were given this position, one, you were the only, you were basically a one person office at the time.
BW: Right.
SY: And you've developed it into this very, very thriving organization.
BW: Yeah, who would've thunk? [Laughs]
<End Segment 32> - Copyright © 2012 Densho. All Rights Reserved.