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RP: This was in the '50s and there's still all these restrictions, barriers, and...

MH: Right.

RP: Did you ever find that in looking for housing in this, in the Portland area?

MH: Oh, yeah. We were denied housing when we first got married. I'm... we think because we were Japanese. 'Cause the apartment was empty. And we finally had to go through a leasing place to find a place. Just calling somebody because it's advertised didn't work for us at all. The other interesting thing is that... I'll have to go back a little bit. Okay. This Kaz Kawata was also at Oregon State at the same time that I was. And the gal that he married lived in my house. She was a senior at the time and I was a freshman and she was a sweetheart. She was a real mentor for us. And she also was a fine Christian. They both worked for the Wesley Foundation at, at First United Methodist in Corvallis. And she told me that they were gonna get married. And I says, "Oh, well, we'll have a shower for you." And, 'cause she was going to be teaching in Oregon City. And she's Caucasian, okay. And so we did have a shower for her. Some of the girls who were living in Portland and we all got together and then she said to me, "You know, Kaz's folks aren't planning to come because they..." 'Cause she's Caucasian. And I was telling this to Mr. Urata who was the father of the berry picking place. Okay, 'cause we're still picking berries in the summertime. And he says, "Oh, that's not right." And he went to talk to them. And said, "Why aren't you going? As far as I know she's a really fine girl." 'Cause I told him that she just really was. And so they did attend under his whatever. But she had to get married in Vancouver. They had to get married in Vancouver because Oregon would not allow mixed marriages. They would not perform mixed marriages.

RP: And...

MH: And this was in nineteen-fifty... I graduated... in 1949.

RP: '49.

MH: Yes.

RP: And when that law change, do you know?

MH: Oh, boy, I would really have to go look it up. But it did change.

RP: But they had to go to Vancouver.

MH: Uh-huh. They had to go to Vancouver to get married.

<End Segment 21> - Copyright © 2010 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.