<Begin Segment 2>

JA: How did you learn of the evacuation of Japanese Americans?

MS: I had Japanese friends. And when they left, there was kind of a void there. And they, well, I was upset about the whole thing. I didn't think it was fair, didn't think it was fair then, don't think it was fair now. But these things happened, and when they left, I just felt, "Well, I have to do something." And that's one reason I wanted to go to Manzanar.

JA: Wasn't your attitude about not approving of this, that wasn't a commonly held attitude, was it?

MS: No. No, and you run across people even now who are very bitter about things. And that also shocks me, too, I just don't know why they have to hang onto something that wasn't right.

JA: Did you notice, among Japanese Americans that you knew, any real changes in the way they were treated by Caucasians?

MS: Well, not really so much, because it happened, everything happened so quickly. That all of a sudden, you had this group of Japanese people, and then all of a sudden they're gone. And it didn't take long for that to happen. And things were moving so quickly, and people were getting so involved, that it's hard to say. And I know one group of people, the Chinese at this point all went around with signs on them saying, "I'm Chinese."

JA: That's interesting.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2002 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.