Densho Digital Archive
Japanese American Museum of San Jose Collection
Title: Richard Konda Interview
Narrator: Richard Konda
Interviewers: Tom Ikeda, Tom Izu
Location: San Jose, California
Date: November 30, 2010
Densho ID: denshovh-krichard_2-01-0013

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TI: And what happened to your relationship with the JACL when the Asian law students decided to do that? As a Japanese American lawyer, as you started going down this path of more Asian American issues versus Japanese American issues, how did that affect the relationship with the JACL?

RK: I think it was okay. I mean, there were some members of the chapter who maybe individually didn't see it our way, but I think as a body, they were supportive of our effort, and they provided us with space, and they actually helped us get some funding. I mean, one of the things is that one of the board members was a lawyer himself, and so he had worked at a legal aid society where he had seen issues involving low income people in general. So I think he had an understanding of some of those needs. And so his name was Jim Ono, and so he was one of the key members on the board who kind who kind of pushed them in that direction, in the direction that we wanted to go.

TI: 'Cause it's interesting now, I know the JACL is, I guess, examining kind of their role in terms of, as an organization, and there have been some discussions about becoming more of an Asian American. Do you have a sense of whether or not that's a good or bad idea for the JACL to consider?

RK: I mean, that's for them to decide. I don't... it seems like there are some Asian groups that are trying to do that, there was a group called the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice which involved some different Asian legal groups, and I know there's a lot of collaboration or cooperation in D.C. amongst the different groups, whether they be an organization of Chinese Americans and the JACL and other groups. I mean, that's for them to decide, I don't know.

TI: Okay.

Tom Izu: So Richard, there was a focus on helping the Issei, is that what the JACL really wanted you to do in the Japanese American community?

RK: Yeah, I think the Issei as well as just the Japanese American community in general. But again, I think from our point of view as Asian law students, I think we felt that we wanted to broaden out. I mean, in fact, when we first started Asian Law Alliance, the JACL let us use space in their building, and so we stayed there for a little while, not that long. And I think at some point we decided that since the building said "Japanese American" and it seemed like it was too much identified with the Japanese American community, that we needed to kind of separate and find another location that wasn't so distinctly Japanese American.

Tom Izu: It was the Issei Memorial building?

RK: Right, it was the Issei Memorial building. So there was, I mean, there were a few clients who came in and wondered whether, they're not Japanese, and can we really help you. And I think that kind of set off in our mind the need that we needed to maybe find a location that was a little more neutral, that wasn't so physically identified with the Japanese American community. So we eventually found another office that was just in an office building.

Tom Izu: Did you start doing a lot of work with Vietnamese? The Vietnamese community is a pretty big deal here in San Jose.

RK: Yeah. Because we, because when we started Asian Law Alliance, it was in 1977, and so that was a period of time when there was a lot of refugees entering from Vietnam principally, but Cambodia and Laos as well.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.