<Begin Segment 10>

HH: What are the things that you could find as things similar in your life that other people of color have in their lives?

LI: Well, right now, I am, for my therapy I am attending, I go to the spa in Cherry Hill. And we all mingle, all of us, and I have a wonderful experience with each one that attend the...

HH: Are you saying that there were Latino Americans and African Americans there at the same therapy place?

LI: Yes.

HH: And so you get along with well with them.

LI: With everybody.

HH: Can you find something about your life and your experiences that are similar to that found in the lives of Latinos and African Americans?

LI: Yes.

HH: What might they be?

LI: Well, I guess, I mean, we as a Japanese always respect, you know, the elders and I find that we, I think we just go back to the times we were growing and we still feel that there are people here that are same as we are.

HH: These are the same things that other people of color have, respect for their elders?

LI: Yes. I presume they are, too. Because many times after our session at the pool, we get together at lunch hour and we often laugh about it because we do exercise to keep ourself from not putting weight on and then we go for lunch and some gathering, and we have a wonderful experience there.

HH: Have you heard the expression "model minority"?

LI: Model...

HH: Have you ever heard of Japanese Americans or Asian Americans being described as "model minority"?

LI: No.

HH: You ever heard of that?

LI: No.

HH: Sometimes they said that about Asian Americans because they seem to be doing so well in America. Do you feel that Asian Americans as a whole are doing very well in America?

LI: Yes.

HH: If so, what kinds of reasons might this be? Why is it that Asian Americans are doing so well?

LI: I presume, from our background, and education has a lot to do. Well, as a whole, I think it all goes back to our ancestors, how they have brought us up. I feel my mother and father had so much, you know, they had went through a lot of the experience, more than us. And I think that's why they have the experience which helped us along.

<End Segment 10> - Copyright © 1994 JACL Philadelphia. All Rights Reserved.