Densho Digital Repository - Theo Bickel Interview (Densho ID: ddr-sjacl-2-30-5)

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EK: I am excited because -- I'm super excited about what we talked about thus far, but I, the latter half -- these questions are the ones that I came up with and I'm super excited because... to know a little more about you and my interests and the work that you have done. But just thus far working in the JACL, and being a part of the JACL, what projects have you worked on thus far and what do they mean to you? Like, what significance does it have? And, in particular, if there's one, I know, that, but if there's just one that you found to have like a particular impact on you or the community that it was focused on or the project itself, what significance do you believe it had?

TB: Okay, great question. I was talking earlier about kind of my hat as membership chair and communicating and doing MailChimp and stuff, but I think really, thinking back, one of the most powerful things that I did wearing a board member hat as well as kind of my old job my volunteer coordinator had, was the Puyallup Valley JACL chapter had a 75th remembrance ceremony at the Puyallup fairgrounds, where there was the "Camp Harmony," where JAs in White River Valley were sent to. And the coordinator was this, just incredible woman. I mean, yeah, she just -- this phenomenal event planner, really putting her heart into the event. And for me to be able to be a part of this small volunteer led team -- I'll back up, Puyallup Valley chair she was hired on. But really, it's like an act of love, it's an act of volunteerism. And so I was helping coordinate some of the different volunteer roles, without getting into the raw details, just helping make the event happen. And for -- I wish I knew the number, but just for all the participants that came, many from out of state, some were the Nisei that were born before or during, others were their children. There were, I think, a handful of Nisei that had never been back to the Puyallup fairgrounds just because that experience was so painful, or perhaps after the camp they were displaced to other places. But just a really powerful day, September... oh, boy, I think it's 2016. Oh, no, it's 2017, seventy-fifth. [Laughs] But just a really, really powerful event. And, as much as I appreciate my kind of week to week role with Seattle JACL, having an event like that was just really powerful and getting to know volunteers. Yeah, it was...

JSG: And who's the coordinator that you mentioned?

TB: So that was Sharon, Sharon Seymour.

JSG: Yeah, she's great.

TB: Sobie Seymour, that was her maiden name. Yeah, Sharon. [Laughs] Let me record it, but Sharon was just incredible. I just, I want to give that woman so many props. I mean, god, I work hard at my job, but I don't work as hard as Sharon worked in that job.

JSG: [Laughs] She's great.

TB: Yeah, Joy, and thank you for volunteering there, too. You and David were awesome.

JSG: No. [Laughs]

EK: Perfect, I mean, sounds like a super amazing project, and also being able to provide that kind of healing for a lot of people who kind of either had to put that trauma away for themselves or for other purposes, but being able to reconnect back to that, and kind of, I think that's, I wish I was there. But it seems like it's a powerful thing. So thank you for sharing that.