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AO: I think right now that JACL is in a good place because we have so many young people who feel energized about the organization. Fortunately, we get funding for projects like the Legacy Project from national organization, through their Legacy Fund. There was an effort some years ago, to get donations from people who received reparations from the government. And so, a lot of Japanese Americans donated part of that money to create a Legacy Project and Legacy Fund. And that fund now provides funding for chapters to put, organize special events. And so, we're very fortunate to have a funding source available to us. We also... the Legacy Fund is costing a lot of money, but I think it's worth it because this will then create a history that young people can look into and others. And our main goal of establishing an equal justice, equal opportunity organization is going to be necessary for a long time.

Right now, I see that the country is extremely polarized. The emergence of the white supremacist groups really concerns me. And the political discourse between members of the two parties is very harsh, and sometimes racist. And I just feel that some of that rhetoric has resulted in an increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans. JACL is a 501(c)(3) organization so we cannot be partisan, so I really don't want to name names. But the rhetoric that we are exposed to right now is very dangerous. And it seems like there are major issues such as climate change and of course the war that is going on in the Ukraine. Those things are really concerning. But right now, I think JACL needs to work to establish a more just society for all. And so having young people join the organization is critical to the survival of the Japanese American and Asian Pacific American community. We need more organizations that are willing to speak up and to organize, and to become politically active, so we have legislators who are sensitive to our needs. I still think there's a glass ceiling. I see so many Japanese Americans who work so hard, they're so diligent in their work, and they have worked to get a solid educational, to reach their educational goals. But I still don't see enough of our Japanese American professionals getting into the higher levels of government, of the corporate world, and even in the educational world, in academics. I would love to see an Asian be a president of the University of Washington or Washington State U, and hopefully that will happen soon.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2022 Seattle Chapter JACL. All Rights Reserved.