Densho Digital Repository - Ray Ishii Interview (Densho ID: ddr-sjacl-2-41-6)

<Begin Segment 6>

AT: You mentioned some organizations that you were a part of. What organizations are you in?

RI: Well, right now I am on the Pike Place Market PDA council, that we're the organization that owns and operates The Pike Place Market. So I'm on that council and I've also been involved with ArtsFund, teaching a couple of workshops a year on nonprofit board leadership. And way back when, it's been a while, but I was on the board of FareStart which provides life and skill training to homeless or formerly homeless individuals. And so yeah, being able to both be involved in the

community and then also broaden out to be involved in some other organizations, really, I've been fortunate and learned a lot.

AT: Wow, that's so cool. Especially with Pike Place Market, I think, didn't it used to be... it was operated by Japanese Americans, right? Before the war and everything too.

RI: Before the war, there were more Japanese American farmers involved than, I think, any other ethnic group at the time. And then, obviously, with the evacuation and all, that really put... well, everybody was gone...

AT: Yeah.

RI: ...from the Japanese American community. And it's never really come back. There were several hotels that were run by Japanese American families, there were restaurants that were run by Japanese American families, besides the farmers. And, well, right now, or currently, there's, there's a pretty diverse group of commercial tenants that are there, which is really great to see. That we also, the market also provides, I think it's 440 units of low income and affordable housing. And so it really does serve a community. But there's still challenges. I remember asking, when I first joined, well, how much do we contract with women- and minority-owned businesses? And very little, but just by my asking that question, and our Executive Director, Ben Franz-Knight, was very proactive and very supportive. And so within a year, on our small works roster, it went from zero to thirty out of a hundred or so on the small works roster, and folks were getting contracts, women- and minority-owned businesses, whether they were certified or not. They, I think last time I heard this was a couple of years ago, had received something like $500,000 in contracts for that year. And so talking with Ben, he said, "Well, nobody had ever asked me about that." And so, yeah, I think they're just not, there's some malice, I guess, I don't want to be totally naive. But sometimes it's just out of not understanding and not being aware. And so it's a, it's important that folks with different perspectives and different backgrounds be involved. So that's why I don't think it's... but JACL, there's always going to be a place for that. I think it's also important for people like you and your colleagues to be involved in other organizations where it isn't just Japanese American focused.

AT: Yeah, definitely. I agree. I think it's really cool that you're part of all of these. What inspired you to join all these different groups?

RI: I guess I did a year of volunteer work right after I graduated from college that really influenced my path. I think in many ways, I'm probably a frustrated social worker in that I knew I didn't have the temperament and the patience and all to be a social worker, but I still thought it was important. My parents were very instrumental in showing me how to volunteer, not telling me, but they showed me by their example, by their helping out other folks in other community organizations. And then I got so much more out of it, I met some tremendous people. I learned so much; it helped me both personally and professionally to be involved in these. And so it maybe wasn't necessarily I'm doing this [inaudible] or anything, but it's more... I got a lot out of it. So I've been very fortunate that way.

AT: Yeah.