Densho Digital Repository - Kay Ochi Interview (Densho ID: ddr-densho-1020-10-3)

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EK: So you had earlier alluded to some of the history of NCRR. What would you say, how would you describe their strategy when they were thinking about trying to seek monetary redress and all of the other things that you had mentioned?

KO: I was mentioning that in the 1980s I had no political experience. I didn't even know the right questions to ask. So I wasn't really aware of this clear delineated strategy, but the one thing that was prominent was grassroots, meaning it was so important that NCRR realized that a lot of people in the community were not naturally going to support redress, redress and reparations. They were reluctant, they were, in fact, some told us not to bother, it would never happen anyway, so forget about it. And our main strategy at that point was going into people's homes, into churches, going into community organizations, talking about what happened to, as it would be my parents, all my relatives, everyone's families during that time and using -- which I know we'll get to -- the CWRIC hearing tapes, videos, as educational tools. When even people who had been in camp could hear the voices of people sharing their stories and not whitewashing it at all. Just talking about the pain that was caused, the losses, that was our greatest tool in education. So for me, the strategy was education of our own community to just let them know that it was okay to be angry, to speak out about it, and to do something. To do something about it, which means seeking and participating in the fight for redress and reparations, and their participation and their involvement, I think, was a huge, underappreciated aspect of the redress movement. It changed a lot of people's lives, and those who worked most strenuously in the campaign, I think it had the greatest impact on because, certainly, being involved with NCRR, the redress and reparations, being at the CWRIC hearings, all that, were huge, pivotal moments in my life. They changed the course of my history.