Densho Digital Archive - Laurie Sasaki Interview (denshovh-slaurie-01-0023)

<Begin Segment 23>

RP: How about another thing that, event that really brought it back to, for people who were in camp, was this redress movement in the mid '80s. Predominately fueled by the, I guess, anger and the sense of injustice that Sansei had about what had happened to their parents and that there had been no justice or no righting of the wrong. So out of that came this redress bill that then President Reagan signed.

LS: Yes.

RP: And issued an apology and a payment. Did you have any strong feelings about that, about getting that letter or hearing that?

LS: I only felt terrible because it, my parents had died. You know, I felt that if it had come to my parents, then that would have been fantastic. But they were gone and I just, that was my feeling is that it was just too bad that my parents had died. It was just... it was wonderful that happened, but I was very sad that it, that my parents weren't here to have that, know about that.

RP: At the time your parents were trying to make a life for themselves and you, they were ineligible to become naturalized citizens of their adopted country. Did... I think the law changed in 1952 or something like that. Did they, did they ever become naturalized citizens?

LS: No, they didn't. I'm not, I don't... no, they did not and I don't know, I mean, I guess they were just used to this life and I don't know, they just didn't pursue that.

RP: Have you revisited Poston over the years?

LS: No, but I've been meaning to get back there just because, and then I have this nephew who's very interested in history so I think that we will visit there one day soon. He's gone to Manzanar and I don't know whether he went up to Tule. But, and then I have another brother-in-law who's visiting all of these places so, yeah, so I'm sure I'll get to Poston one day soon.

RP: Have you attended any reunions?

LS: I did. All of my Poston people are down in Los Angeles. So I did attend a couple of those but not for many years. At the beginning I did but not now, not now.