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HH: Well, I know that you eventually ended up in Philadelphia.

CK: That was a year later. But I would say, in St. Louis, after camp, it was the best time of my life. Because the girls I worked with were all graduates. They came from all over, not just one state, they came from all over, very broad-minded. And when we worked together, we worked together. When we went out bicycling or swimming or anything, we went together. If they didn't admit me in one of the pools, then they didn't go in. In this way, I think we covered St. Louis quite well and thoroughly enjoyed it, and found out what the weather was like, it's typical Philadelphia weather in the summertime, hot and humid.

HH: Now that you mention it, what kind of racial prejudice did you encounter in St. Louis?

CK: Herb, as far as racial prejudices go, prejudice goes, there was none. Except the incident I said, we tried to go to a pool and they didn't want me admitted, so the girls wouldn't go in. But that was very few and far between. But as far as work and the patients and all, went, there was no prejudice. But I remember going to Union Station, and I saw the sign for the drinking fountains, say, for Black and white, and that shocked me. I said, "This still goes on." I mean, that shook me up when I first went to St. Louis at Union Station.

HH: By the way, if you were thirsty, which fountain would you use?

CK: I'd head for the "white," because they somehow expected you to. It's just like coming into Philadelphia, and I wasn't quite sure of the area, that I was looking for this appointment. And I asked the policeman right on Broad, right there by Broad Street Station and all. And he said, "Lady, you don't want to go there." I said, "Why?" "It's a Black neighborhood." So no matter where I work, they put me in a category, say, as a minority, but they favor me towards the whites, and this is when I had been accepted as far as work and everything went.

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 1994 JACL Philadelphia. All Rights Reserved.