<Begin Segment 13>

Q: It appears you came from a strong Japanese cultural background. So did you have any problems, or could you tell us about any problems of an interracial marriage?

GH: Well, when I got married, it was no very frequent nor popular on either side, the question of intermarriage. And so, and then on top of that, it was during the war. And so, for example, my former wife got all the poison pen letters, anonymous, because she was the "traitor to the race." I didn't get anything. There was opposition, however, on both sides, I knew it. Even, even friends of mine hesitated. They were supportive, but they hesitated and questioned it, particularly by raising questions like, "Well, you people have thought it over, but what about your kids? They're going to be victims 'cause they haven't had the chance to be consulted before they entered the world." That kind of floored me. I wondered how to answer that question. Until somehow I hit a perspective, little broader perspective, and I realized that that question could be asked of any parent. And what could be asked of me would be this one additional dimension that would be added to the general question. So it's not the question, it's one further question that we have to think about in having children.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 1983, 2010 Densho and Steven Okazaki. All Rights Reserved.