Densho Digital Archive - Sumi Saito Interview (denshovh-ssumi-01-0010)

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AC: So what kind of fun things, what did you do for fun when you were in Corvallis?

SS: We went to the coast, we went to dances. Oh, I have to tell you about prejudice, not just against Nihonjins, but I belonged to this club called the International Club at Oregon State. They probably don't even have it anymore, do they? The people, we had the kids from Turkey, Iran, different country, India, China, or maybe it was Taiwan, I don't know, Chinese kids. And there was a boy from Baker City, it was called Baker then, but it's called Baker City now. His name was Bill Tebeau, and his name is spelled T-E-B-E-A-U, sounds French, doesn't it? Well, he got into Oregon State accidentally. He's black, and he signed up for a dorm and everything, he couldn't get in. He had no place to stay, they wouldn't let him have, live in a dorm or any kind of school housing. And so Dr. McGruder, I don't know if you know, he's the author of the Oregon History books. He lived on campus, he was a professor then. He took Bill into his home and made an apartment for him in his basement. And Bill lived there for a year, I think, before they got things arranged so he could live on campus. But people were really prejudiced against blacks.

Here I was, in '45, and I was Japanese descent, but we had what you call Nickel Hops then, and each housing group was trying to raise money for, I forgot, it was some charity, and the fellows had to pay a nickel for a dance. So we'd all line up against the walls, and they guys would come and ask you for a dance, they'd have to pay a nickel in this pot. So that's how the dorms made their money for this charity fund. And this black kid who was in the navy and ROTC, I think they called it, he was from New Jersey. His name was Tim but I can't remember his last name. Just the nicest guy. And he asked me to dance and he was teaching me these jitterbug steps and stuff. And when I got through I went over to introduce him to my friends, they all ran. I was just shocked. I just came from Vale, there were no blacks there either. And one of my friends says, "Sumi, don't you know he's a nigger?" You know, in those days, they used to say things like that. Well, I just thought he was Tim, you know. But that's how the prejudices against blacks was worse than prejudice against Japanese. It's more ingrained, I guess.

AC: How did it make you feel?

SS: I was flabbergasted; I couldn't believe it. And I felt bad for Tim, but I guess he was used to it. I don't know. He had this navy uniform on, cute white cap and everything, but they wouldn't dance with him. That was probably 1947, '46.