Densho Digital Archive - Laurie Sasaki Interview (denshovh-slaurie-01-0024)

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RP: Another very shocking event in the history of our country came recently with 9/11. And just a short time after that there was a backlash of public opinion towards Arab Americans and Muslims. Did you, did that sort of bring out a little bit...

LS: It did. I mean, I was really concerned about that. Because even if you have things like these exhibits saying you can't let this happen again, you know, I just felt that it's gonna happen again. It was just, it was just, 'cause when you see what happened to us, I don't think that it would take very much to keep people from feeling that way about something else. So, yeah, I did feel very, very strongly about that.

RP: So you have, you strongly think that you have given an event like that, it could happen.

LS: Yes, I'm sorry to say.

RP: Laurie, do you have any, based on your experience, do you have any advice or insights that you could offer to young people about civil liberties, constitutional rights, based on what you and your members of your ethnic group went through?

LS: Advice? I don't think I could give anybody very good advice. Just take the opportunity when it arrives. That's it.

RP: Uh-huh, good. A couple more questions. Just stepping back just, back into camp. Oh, did your, any of your siblings or your mom or dad ever express any anger or bitterness for, about what was happening to them? First of all, they're forcibly removed from their homes and put in a camp. Some people referred to it as a concentration camp. Their lives were no longer their own. They have no power, no rights. How did...

LS: You know, I'm sure they had very strong feelings. But they don't show that. I think that maybe they were trying to protect us to make us feel comfortable that we're still secure. They never said anything that they were upset. I'm sure they were. I'm sure they were. They had to be. But I think it was more to give us a secure feeling that they, the family was still okay. So, I couldn't tell you that they were out there shouting like, "Oh my god," this and that. They did not do that.

RP: Maybe some of that comes from that cultural value of not bringing any shame on the family or extra tension by speaking out or...

LS: Right, very quiet.

RP: So, have you broken that mold?

LS: [Laughs] I have to be very reserved. Oh my gosh. Just recently I attended the UC Berkeley graduation ceremony for the Niseis who were given the honorary degrees after fifty-seven years or something like that. That was really touching because this Norm Mineta was the speaker. So... but I don't know if anybody realized what had happened to these students who could not graduate at that time and finally got their degrees. I don't know if that made too much of a point except to us. I did shed a tear, tear or two.