<Begin Segment 27>

TI: Now, the Dai Ichi ward, is that mostly Japanese or Japanese American?

NA: It's, it's both. We have many from Japan, they're going to school here or they come here to work, so they come to our church. And then the locals, they have to be Japanese or if it was a Caucasian, have to be married to a Japanese American. So we have Caucasian at our ward, but they have to have Japanese ties, and any Caucasian without Japanese ties cannot come join us.

TI: And how large is the Dai Ichi ward?

NA: Oh, 250, 300 members.

TI: And is it growing or staying the same size?

NA: It's growing. It's growing, but at the same time it's growing, we're losing a few because they go back to Japan or they move out. But then the new LDS people coming from Japan fills up the gap, keep up the population.

TI: So this next question I want to ask is how, in Salt Lake City, how, like, the Japanese Americans who are Buddhist or Protestant, how do they look at Japanese Americans who are LDS? Is there any kind of differences or anything?

NA: Oh, no. There's no hatred because the Japanese Americans that were JACL credit union honchos, they were LDS. And right now, the... are they called the president of the JACL credit union? But anyway, he's an LDS. And then we have Buddhist secretaries working there, Christian secretaries working there, Christian... so we all get along together. They, they come to our LDS functions and we go to their Protestant function or Buddhist function, dinner, we help each other. And then the JACL are made up of all Japanese American, Buddhist, Protestant or LDS or Muslims, there might be one or two. I know there was one or two Jew, Jewish member, full-blooded Japanese that went to the Jewish church that come to our Japanese functions.

TI: So it sounds like Salt Lake City, the people in Salt Lake City are pretty accepting or tolerant of other religions.

NA: Oh, we accept each other, no segregation there, we all support each other.

TI: Okay, good. Well, good, because Salt Lake City, it's just interesting to me because of such a strong influence of the LDS church, so I was just curious if there were any differences, so that was good. Thank you for that. We're out of time now, so I want to ask if there's anything that you want to finish with, any last words?

NA: Oh, well, I want to thank you for being, for being, I mean, for being here to get my story. Because the stories still have to be out to the general public because... what is it? Ninety percent of the Caucasian population don't know of the Japanese American contribution to this country, both economically and war-wise. They don't know, and so our story has to get up and get out. And so, and long as there's people with Japanese blood, or any other nationality, whether they're Muslims or whatnot, people will have to accept us as Americans and not as foreigners. And the only way is to get our story out and fight for the other minorities, tell 'em, "No more of what we went through, no more of that kind of stuff for other nationality also," yeah. Look like we're doing a pretty good job, you're doing a pretty good job.

TI: Well, especially with help from you, Nelson. So thank you very much for taking the time. It was a pleasure meeting you.

NA: Okay.

TI: Thank you.

<End Segment 27> - Copyright ©2008 Densho and the Topaz Museum. All Rights Reserved.