<Begin Segment 22>

RP: Just a few kind of wrap up questions. I was very interested to find out how your story has resonated with your children and even any grandkids. Are they interested? Disinterested? Curious? How does this story get passed down to your, the next generation?

MH: You know, I think, I don't think my husband and I talk much about the camp experience really, really not. And it's only when the kids reach high school and they want to write a, write a theme paper. And that's when they start asking questions. The same with my granddaughter. Or she would tell somebody else and they want to write a story and they would call. For my, for my kids, especially my three daughters, I really brought them up to be very independent. So, you know, they think that, why should there be such injustice? And I said there was and you got to remember that history can repeat itself and so you always have to be aware of what's going on.

RP: Right. And for you personally, have you kind of come out of a shell in terms of telling your story? You're here today telling it and just a month ago you were giving a speech in front of the Oregon Department of Justice. Could you have seen yourself doing that ten or fifteen years ago?

MH: Not, not fifty years ago, no. Not at all.

RP: So what has motivated you to come out?

MH: I think what motivated me is because especially with this group because they were thinking from the legal viewpoint rather than a personal story but they want to hear the personal story also. And hear the legal part of it, and how that legal part of it really affected lives. And the only way that it's not going to happen is that they know what happened previously. So to me that was really important. And since I'd been working at the Legacy Center I just feel like if we don't preserve some of the history nobody else will. And the stories will never be told. And I think, you know, those stories have to be told. I don't know how else to explain it.

RP: I think you just did. And when did you begin working at the Legacy Center?

MH: Actually, when they first started talking about it they had a committee that was formed. And they met at our church. We, you know, provided the space for them to meet. And then when it came down to finding a space, the Naito brothers were kind enough to find a space for us and so that was in 1998, '97 somewhere in there. And they decided that, you know, we'd better start collecting stuff too. And so we just kind of fell into it. And it was truly the blind leading the blind. None of our executive directors or whatever had any professional training in that kind of field. And so I did find a woman down in Ashland who taught us some of the basics, at least for objects. Not the archival, and photographs. So, anyway, for me it's been very rewarding to have worked for the Legacy Center.

Off Camera: There's less than one minute.

RP: Right. Okay, well, Massie, on behalf of Mark and myself and the National Park Service we really deeply appreciate your stories and your time in telling them. It's been really a very compelling two hours. Thank you so much.

MH: Thank you for having me.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright © 2010 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.