Densho Digital Archive
Manzanar National Historic Site Collection
Title: Hope Omachi Kawashima Interview
Narrator: Hope Omachi Kawashima
Interviewer: Kristen Luetkemeier
Location: Fresno, California
Date: September 10, 2014
Densho ID: denshovh-khope-01-0032

<Begin Segment 32>

KL: That was also the time period when the redress campaign was pretty visible.

HK: Yes.

KL: And I wonder what your memories are of that. Were you guys very aware of redress, and what were your thoughts about it?

HK: Oh yes, yes. Well, no, I was very thankful for that because (...) our younger daughter was going to college, and so it was very helpful because she wanted to (also go) to medical school, so it helped us to finance her schooling. And so I was very thankful that we had received that.

KL: You wrote, too, that it helped you overcome feelings of bitterness toward the government.

HK: Yes.

KL: And I wondered if you'd talk a little more about the impact, about that impact of redress, how that, how that happened.

HK: Well, I felt that it was a small reward for all the pain that we went through, especially for my parents. But the sad thing was is that my father died before he got his redress, (though) he knew it was coming, but he didn't receive it himself. My mother got his (and) hers, but of course, my sister said, "You have to share it with everybody," so we shared with all the family. But I think he didn't, (or) wasn't able to forgive or forget. He always had that bitterness in his heart that the government had really done something wrong for its own citizens. So he wasn't able to overcome that. And then my mother just said, "I just want to forget about it," (so) then she lost her memory. She forgot about (everything).

KL: You're kind of different that way. I wonder if you would tell us in the recording why you feel that it's important to remember and to talk about what happened?

HK: Because, I think because of my music therapy training, where talking about your problems and so forth is the best therapy to overcome any bad feelings that you have, instead of holding it all in. So that's why I believe that talking is very important, and it helps you to understand the picture more, too, because every time I've done a talk about it (...), I get a new revelation on exactly what happened, or what had happened. And I think that if you hold it all in it's not healthy, 'cause I think any difficult experiences in your life, you need to share or come out in the open with it, then you can kind of go beyond and move on in your life.

KL: Both options sound scary. You know, holding it in, but also being public and...

HK: Right. Well, I think just trying, like my mother just wanted to forget about it, then she lost her memory, literally. She just wanted to forget everything, which I think is very sad too. And so that's why I had to commute from West L.A. to Loomis every week, to take care of her half of the week, and then my younger sister (who) lives in Sacramento took care of her half the week. But she kept asking the same question, "Where is your dad? Where is he?" And then she'd try to go out and look for him in the middle of the night. We had to lock the doors (and) hide the key so she wouldn't be looking for him. But it was kind of sad to see her like that.

<End Segment 32> - Copyright © 2014 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.