Densho Digital Repository
Seattle JACL Oral History Collection
Title: Joy Misako St. Germain Interview
Narrator: Joy Misako St. Germain
Interviewers: Ana Tanaka, Dr. Kyle Kinoshita
Date: March 2, 2022
Densho ID: ddr-sjacl-2-35-5

<Begin Segment 5>

AT: Let's see. So, I guess now, you are, I mean, you're still involved with JACL, after you're president in '92. And now you're the co-chair of this legacy project that we're working on now, kind of shifting it over to looking at the future, and what we're doing right now and that work. What is it, I guess, what does this project mean to you? And what do you think the importance of it all is now that we're working on this so many years later?

JSG: One of the things that strikes me is the importance of recording and keeping the history alive so that we can learn from it. And right now, similar to my story about the resolution on paper, so much paper, I feel as though if we don't record it in a way that's accessible and clear, it's very challenging to pull out my two boxes of JACL papers and sort through them, and figure out, how can we capture the stories of the leaders of JACL, the work that JACL has done? So it is absolutely critical, this project and the work to preserve the history so that we can learn from what we've done. And it's very, very important. And I don't think we've got that quite organized. And luckily, we have Densho and the partnership with them. But it is that type of repository of information, and history, oral histories that I think is critical to capture so that we can learn from that. It's really... right now I -- there's so much to do still, and so much to learn and I feel as though right now, my sense of the JACL Seattle chapter -- I'm not on the board, but I love to and I will continue to engage in projects like this, to support the work of the JACL. And there's, I think right now, there's still work that's actively being done by JACL.

So it's exciting because I think there's a whole influx of new, younger generations coming in. I think recently, Kyle, you helped facilitate the anti-Blackness series. And there's just so much to learn. And I feel as though it really is creating a new day for the JACL Seattle chapter, it is starting to shape with what some of that conversation was back in 1992 about concern, about relevancy, about sustainability. I feel like it's naturally happening. And perhaps that is a reflection of the times today. I really feel that there's, unfortunately, we're still facing, I would say the same or similar challenges. And then also, there is a sense of crisis I have with the issues around race and anti-hate or there's a lot of anti-Asian hate things that are happening today that are very concerning. So I'm just glad that the organization, I think is still strong and that there's strong interest in moving in a different direction that is really important to do. It's needing to flow and go with what is needed today, and a lot of it's dependent on the leaders that make up the JACL, of where they want to go. So I do think some of it's based on the leadership and their interests that there's, I think, if there wasn't that need today, then perhaps the role of JACL, or the mission would change a little bit more into the cultural side. And it's not that that's not there today. I think that it's a very challenging time right now.

AT: Yeah, definitely, unfortunately.

<End Segment 5> - Copyright © 2022 Seattle Chapter JACL. All Rights Reserved.