<Begin Segment 9>

EK: Okay. No, I was just going to say, because one of my guiding questions is actually Elaine's role on the national JACL Education Committee, which just were, just touched on. And I know for you, Arlene, you said that you were really invested in your child's -- your children's education and you were  able to get to know Elaine better through her work through the Education Committee. And I know, through that committee, she was really an integral part on creating a guide to help teachers in covering issues regarding Japanese American history, incarceration, and just like the history of Japanese Americans in World War II. And so I was wondering -- like I said, anyone can add to this -- but say, if you can add and talk about Elaine's impact to this work that she did on having teachers teach this history, teach this Japanese American history. But if you could speak to that and anyone else who would like to come forward, yeah. It's a big question, sorry. [Laughs]

KY: Let me ask a question, Elaine. Why do you use the term "incarceration" as opposed to "internment"?

EK: So I actually -- I'm not sure if you know who this is, but Vincent Schleitwiler, when he was my professor for Japanese... I took a class on Japanese American incarceration, and that's the term that was used. And we learned different euphemisms for what was used during the World War II times. And the difference, I guess, the difference that we try to make was between internment for the Holocaust, and everything that happened then. And then whereas you have incarceration -- I guess some people -- and like some people call it like, Japanese American relocation camps and everything and didn't consider it incarceration. But when you really take a look at the history of what happened to Japanese Americans during that time, it clearly wasn't relocation, it was really just a state of pure cruelty, just absolute injustice. And so we, I guess, through Vince and just like reading through history as well, I guess the best term to define it, in that sense was, I learned was "incarceration" but...

KY: Bill is smiling because I think he knows where I'm going with this.

BT: I know where you're going, Karen. [Laughs]

KT: You just -- that's Elaine, Elaine. That's Elaine Akagi talking through you. It's called the Power of Words. It was a JACL campaign and Vincent was one of the teachers who attended a workshop, which was taught by Barbara Yasui, who was taught by Stanley Shikuma, who was a fellow committee member of Elaine Akagi, who developed the Power of Words campaign. So the exact way that you explained it is exactly the way that Elaine wanted it to be explained.

EK: I am glad that... I was like, is this a test? But, if anything...

AL: You passed.

EK: I mean, it's an amazing... I remember reading that kind of... the Power of Words document and just to see how many euphemisms that exist still, sadly, even through history and even today, you'll still hear "relocation," you'll hear like it was a act of wartime, or it's like they were national security measures. It's clearly not that, and it needs to be, that needs to be shared more. And so I'm really glad that I was able to take that class because, I mean, through what maybe like a day of learning Japanese American history and my own education, which is terrible and sad. It's really sad that there's still euphemisms within those textbooks.

AO: I think it's really significant that the Power of Words movement came from the Seattle chapter JACL. And that we had a very strong committee, which Karen was involved in, to move that forward. And it's something that the national organization should have done years ago, but it took the Seattle chapter to get that going.

AL: Wasn't Mako involved in it too, right?

BT: Yes.

AL: Yeah, I thought -- I remember her. Yeah.

EK: I... in itself, that's an impact, too. I mean, it's just, words do so much. And so to know that Elaine was a part of creating that, just creating that, changing those words, making sure that history actually understands and even present today, understands the meaning behind these simple words when they're really not. They carry a lot of stories in history and hurt. But I actually, this is... I wanted to jump back to this question, if you don't mind, Ann, because you said you were more drawn to her as a female JACL leader. And maybe, I don't know if this is what we can call it, but I am a feminist, I am a big proponent of female leadership, I will... I'm just someone who will always be on the wagon for female leadership. And I know that Elaine was a big trailblazer for female leadership. And so, and if you don't mind speaking to just her impact as a female leader, and what that meant to even just -- not just the JACL, but just in general, for all of women's history.

AL: I think I just always connected with her because, like I said, we kind of worked, had the same employer, and we did share physical workspace with the Seattle school district. So, but I always felt really connected to her, and in a really positive way. And that was probably like, in my twenties and thirties and forties and fifties. But... and I'm sure, some of that had to do with... because my mother was, she was on the State Board of Tax Appeals. And she had a lot of, I mean, she was in that position before she got sick. But, so I think I was kind of surrounded by people like that, too. So it wasn't like a big... I think I just valued it a lot because I wanted to learn. Because, like I said, I was always raising my hand to do something at JACL meetings. I really, when I'd look around and go, "Why... nobody else is..." I mean, I'm looking at people more my age maybe, and going, I guess I should have just said, "Why aren't you guys raising your hands?" But back then I wasn't like that. Today, I'm more outspoken, but I was there and I wanted to really do a lot. And so maybe I got a lot of that from...

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2022 Seattle Chapter JACL. All Rights Reserved.