Densho Digital Archive - Sachi Kaneshiro Interview (denshovh-ksachi-01-0019)

<Begin Segment 19>

RP: Why, what prompted you to begin sharing your story, your camp experiences?

SK: Oh, in 1985, (...) I was retired already, I joined a creative writing group in Carlsbad. People there had, none of them, heard of the camps. So when I first began writing about it they would ask me questions. And they encouraged me to continue writing about it, especially my instructors. And then that's what got me started. I thought, first of all, well, I'll write this for my grandkids. They should know what happened to us. And that's how I started. And then I was in that creative writing group a couple of years. And off and on worked on my manuscript. Never did anything with it. But just off and on until last year when my siblings had it published. So that's, it's, I cut it down considerably. I had a lot more in there about my boyfriend. [Laughs] But anyway...

RP: Is this...

SK: Yeah I just, I just...

RP: Your boyfriend who became your husband or another...

SK: No, no. Another one.

RP: Oh, we want to hear about that.

SK: No, no. Anyway, I cut...

KP: Tape's rolling.

SK: [Laughs] I cut that out. And it's down to a hundred and fifty pages. So, you should be able to read it in a couple of hours.

RP: It's like Farewell to Manzanar. Go right through it.

SK: Yeah. I hope so, I hope there are no snags.

RP: Uh-huh. Then you also became a docent with the Japanese American National Museum?

SK: Uh-huh.

RP: As a docent?

SK: Seven years ago. Yeah.

RP: And how did that come about?

SK: My sister Mary was very much involved and still is with, with the museum as a volunteer. I had gone to speak at the University of Santa Barbara because my niece was working there and she asked me to speak to the Women's Studies group. So I told them about the internment experience and then my sister Mary said, "Well, if you can do that, you can be a docent at the museum." So, that's how I got started there. And I've spoken to, well, schoolkids. Every week busloads come to the museum. But I've also gone out like when I went to Minnesota to visit my daughter I spoke to her high school. She's a special ed teacher. I spoke all day (to) high school classes. And then to Dallas when I went to visit my niece I spoke to seventh and eighth graders. And then to another private school. Well, anyway...

Off Camera: What about the Arkansas...

SK: Oh, yeah. And then, then when they had that camp reunion in Arkansas? I didn't go to the camp reunion, but the museum asked me and three other docents, we were all guides, to go to Arkansas to talk to the school kids. So we went for a whole week and talked to school kids. And then on the way back I lost my voice. (...) I talked so much I lost my voice. And then found out a little later that I had a paralyzed (...) left vocal cord. But it was such a good experience I said, "Oh, it's worth it. It was worth it."

RP: So you always had a desire to kind of get this story out?

SK: Yes, yes. That's why I started writing in the creative writing class. So, anyway, I think a few people learned about it because of what I've written.