Densho Digital Repository - Emlei "Emi" Kuboyama Interview (Densho ID: ddr-densho-1020-12-10)

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TH: Looking back, I mean, what do you... discuss some of what you see as the program's highlights. If we're looking at that large span of about ten years that it almost operated.

EK: Sure. Program highlights. Well certainly I was not there for it, but the original check presentation ceremonies I often hear about. It took place in Washington, D.C. first, in the Great Hall of the Department of Justice. Where a number of people... and we paid, every year there were a limited amount of payments that could be made. And so the priority was always to pay the oldest eligible people first. And so at the first presentation ceremony where people received letters of apology and their $20,000 check, we had a number of the oldest, most of whom were in their nineties or a hundred, come to the Department of Justice for this ceremony. And, you know, all sorts of dignitaries were there, I don't remember if the Attorney General was there, but certainly a lot of high level DOJ officials as well as people from the office really doing everything they could to make this a significant and meaningful event and respectful event. But I remember Aaron talking about running to the airport to pick people up and we had just a number of people who were really touched by seeing federal government officials kneeling down and presenting the letters and the checks to these people who had been wronged. Personally, I think my program highlights would include just the dedication and working with all the staff. I mean, we all loved the work we did, and in hindsight, I guess we worked a lot of overtime, but I never felt that way. And it was just such a diverse group. It was certainly diverse early on when the office was particularly large, particularly with the contract staff. But even when I was there, there were, I would say half the people were contractors and half were DOJ career employees. Really, really diverse staff, and I think that was a strength of the program rather than a weakness. It wasn't that they didn't, they didn't identify or understand with the program so much as they were just really bought into it. So working extended hours with those dedicated folks are certainly a highlight for me. And then also the partnership. I mean, it was my first professional experience out of law school and seeing what the impact of a federal program can be and how you can really remove the bureaucracy from it and really put a face and a name to a lot of what the office was doing. So those are the program highlights that I really still hold.