<Begin Segment 12>

PK: Oh can I, actually, I did remember one other thing.

EK: Yes, please, please.

PK: Because we, our mom gets a lot of recognition. And back in the days, olden days, right, there's a saying, "behind every good man, there's a good woman," ever hear that one? [Laughs]

JSG: Yes. [Laughs]

PK: See, behind this good woman, there was this good man, our dad. And our dad truly did have so much, contributed in so many ways, to us in who we are, in our principles, in our true commitment to social justice, but also in his support of our mom, where our mom wasn't always cleaning the house. [Laughs]

RK: He made the lunches, and he made sure that we got off to school, but he wasn't... and for a Nisei man, that was unusual.

PK: Right. He wasn't that chauvinist spouse, so he supported our mom doing, being the activist that she was, and he was an activist in his own way. I think one thing that I would add is that our mom was very fortunate to have the Quakers enter into her life. Where coming out of being incarcerated, she was able, she was sponsored by the Quakers to leave the camp to attend Friends University in Kansas. And I think that really helped her have some peace around the injustice that they encountered. Our dad, he did have anger about the injustice that they experienced, and I think that impacted us as well. And I think right when I came into the meeting late, Ruthann was talking about showing up and saying, she's saying something about the main thing is showing up and I think both our mom and dad showed up in different ways.

EK: Thank you. I just, I wanted to add just something about doing my own just like I said, as a super fan I'm always trying to look up more about Aki. And one thing that I really enjoyed was the idea that she, as a teacher, she didn't teach necessarily through grades and the reinforcement of academic validation or anything. She was really about life lessons, values, morals, and I think that, that still resonates with me. And I think that... I lost my train of thought, but just her teaching through that kind of teaching sense, is, I think teaches more -- I think, personally. I mean, academics, I've obviously learned a lot, but the way that Aki has her teaching style, I think has more, does more good than I think students realize. And so that's just something I wanted to share. And just, as we were speaking about Aki Kurose, and just kind of the impact that she's had on you all, but I just want to say -- like I said before, super fan of Aki Kurose that... I can easily say now that I'm a super fan of the Kurose family, like point blank period right here, just announcing that. But I just wanted to say from, just, thank you, thank you so much for being able to contribute your time and stories and knowledge. Like Joy said in the beginning, it's through recordings like this and accounts like this, it's just to document individuals like you, Ruthann, Mika, and Paul and also Aki Kurose, who has left just such massive impacts in society. And so, just wanted to say thank you, thank you so much. And Joy, I'm not sure if you wanted to end the recording, or --

PK: Can I...

EK: Yes, please.

PK: I'm sorry. I just want to add, our sister Marie is, she is just doing some really significant work. And anyway, I just wanted to mention her. And I think you should interview her. [Laughs]

JSG: Could have included her, sorry.

PK: No, no, no. I mean, I should have said something sooner.

RK: But I think it's because she doesn't do JACL stuff.

PK: Yeah. Yeah, but just in terms of how she's carried on, but our parents' legacy and their teachings and their influence as well. So I just wanted to add that.

JSG: That's great. I'm gonna stop the recording. But thank you so much, and then we can still talk for a few minutes. So I'll stop the recording here, but thank you.

<End Segment 12> - Copyright © 2022 Seattle Chapter JACL. All Rights Reserved.