<Begin Segment 19>

RP: Lois, I want to -- just a couple more questions. Do you remember receiving a letter from the United States government apologizing for the internment of Japanese Americans and also getting a check for $20,000?

LY: You wanted to know...

RP: Did, do you remember that?

LY: Oh yes, uh-huh. I received one.

RP: Did you have... now you were what a year and a half old when you, when you left to go back to Japan. You were born in the camps. But how did you feel about...

LY: Oh, getting it?

RP: The redress, getting that?

LY: Well, didn't think too much. But when I heard that my mom and siblings lost the property because they couldn't pay the tax, I felt really sad. And not only that, when you think of it, without any trials all these 120,000 people has to go and then you have live in the desert, most of the people live in the desert, I said, "Wow." It's hard to believe. So I said, well, compensation for $20,000 would be very helpful. So I said not just for myself but I wanted to share with the people who really needed the help and then not just sitting and waiting, but these workers nowadays I see it, like my husband's workplace, many Mexican people comes to work. They work so hard with minimum pay. So I said I wanted to help these people. And then or somebody who is working hard, very hard. And they don't ask for handout or welfare. I said these are the kind of places I wanted to help. And then of course National Japanese American Museum so they can share the information. And I thought about Manzanar too.

RP: So you, you gave money to...

LY: I didn't give anything yet, but what I have received I can do it now.

RP: I see. You want, you want to share that.

LY: Right. San Jose has a museum. They're trying to build a, build almost last stage. And Manzanar and Tule Lake programs. Tule Lake, they don't have a building but they have organization.

RP: This...

LY: And I been to pilgrimage for 2006 and it was very, very nice. And...

RP: What do you remember most about that pilgrimage?

LY: About the pilgrimage?

RP: Yeah. Are there any particular event or...

LY: Well, at that time I was not really into it. But really, but I can't see whole picture of it. And then it's, I'm really seeing things a lot better now than before. Because I have more information and I'm talking to older people, getting that firsthand information, and I'm reading oral history and I'm reading some more, and DVR, DVD and videos. So, I'm getting really saturated I feel like. Now I feel that I wanted to, what do you call, Remembrance Day, I wanted to participate, help 'cause they need a lot of people. And then many older people are passing away and...

[Interruption]

RP: Lois, I want to thank you on behalf of the National Park Service and Kirk and myself for sharing all this information and knowledge that you acquired, all this enthusiasm too with us in our interview. And we can, we'll be giving you a copy of this to add to your, your archives. So, thank you very much.

LY: You're welcome. Thank you for the time.

<End Segment 19> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.