Densho Digital Repository - The Kurose Family Interview (Densho ID: ddr-sjacl-2-42-4)

<Begin Segment 4>

EK: So, Mika and Ruthann, please feel free to chime in regarding this question, but Paul, if you don't mind telling us a little bit about the influence of your mother's work and the influence it had on you as a teacher. And also if you don't mind sharing about the JACL's Aki Kurose Memorial Scholarship that is given each year. If you could just share some information on that and also along with just the influence that your mother, late mother Aki Kurose, had on you, that would be great.

PK: Okay. Let me get in my car. Sorry. My car got hit, and I have to use a back scratcher from the backseat to open the car door.

JSG: Oh no.

EK: Oh dear.

PK: See, this is my car opener. [Laughs]

MR: Oh my gosh.

PK: Okay, anyways, that has nothing to do with your question. So certainly both our mom and our dad just had so much influence on us in terms of just standing up for what's right and for those who aren't being treated justly. And as we well know, our education system is a place where that's just rampant. And so, that certainly had a heavy influence there, my upbringing. And again, not just from my mom and dad, but from my elder siblings as well, my older sister, who just kind of gave you an example of how she sometimes would keep me in line, or how hopeless it was to keep me in line or whatever, but looked out for me and would be like a moral compass as well. And certainly my older brother Guy, my brother, Rollie, he died way too young, but he also taught me to stand up for myself. I was like, I was the baby even though I have a younger sister. [Laughs] But yeah, so all of those influences, certainly, that I have, that's how I ended up doing what I chose to do. I mean, I was privileged, after our public school system wasn't serving my elder siblings well. And they were running into -- Ruthann and Hugo got through, Guy and Rollie ran into a lot of mess within that system. And when it came my turn to go to high school, my mom and dad said to me, "You're going to Lakeside," so I went to high school with Bill Gates. So I had a very privileged high school education. And I learned math like I never would have learned math if I didn't get sent to that school. And then when it came down to trying to figure out what I was going to do with that math education, I was down in Berkeley, California getting my graduate degree in math and a master's degree, I didn't cut it to get the PhD. Had to be too, had to stay out of the gym, and spend more time studying math, so that didn't work out for me. But I started getting more and more involved in different educational programs serving underprivileged, underserved student populations. And again, I mean, that was heavily influenced by all of those, certainly our parents, but also my siblings as well. And my younger sister as well. It's not like, just because she was younger, she didn't have an influence on me as well.

RK: Jimi Hendrix and Stokely Carmichael didn't come speak at your assembly like they did at ours.

PK: [Laughs] Oh no, that's for sure. At my assembly, they were talking about how Japanese deserved to be put in camps.

JSG: Oh, no.

PK: [Laughs] It had nothing to do with race. That I guess it was just a big coincidence, they all happen to be. Anyway... and then you wanted me to talk a little bit about the scholarship. So we were... just so many things, we are very proud, but we also feel very fortunate that our mom was recognized, both in life and after she passed away for the difference she made. Both in the kids' lives that she worked with, but also in the community. And JACL honored her by having the scholarship dedicated to her. And the purpose of the scholarship is to support Seattle Public Schools students who are going to attend a public state, Washington state college or university. And we look for young people who are committed to social justice. And it's just been a real privilege and honor and gift to serve on that scholarship committee because we meet these incredible young people who are just doing great things. And it's really nice to be able to give them scholarship -- or we're not giving it -- but be part of the process JACL does in giving them a scholarship to support them doing social justice work, or not just social justice work, but being committed to social justice in their lives. And so I hope that answers what I was supposed to.

EK: Absolutely.

RK: I have a question.

PK: Yeah. For me?

RK: I don't know, are all the scholarships based on the same criteria, or are there different ones?

PK: There are different ones. Look at the t-shirt I'm wearing today.

MR: Oh. [Laughs]

JSG: Beautiful. So nice.

PK: It's kind of sweaty. At least that's the benefit of Zoom, right?

RK: It's Kazzie Katayama's husband who did that design.

JSG: Oh, Kazzie's. Yeah, that's beautiful. Isn't that part of the school as well, the middle school?

PK: Yeah, so that's pretty amazing that there's a middle school where the mascot is peace cranes. And just the message that sends every day is nice.

EK: Absolutely. I went to Roosevelt, so it's definitely better than Rough Riders easily. [Laughs]

EK: Thank you, Paul. But before going on, I wanted to see, Ruthann or Mika, did you want it to contribute to the conversation surrounding the Aki Kurose Memorial Scholarship?

RK: Only that I was, I may be wrong, but I understood that some of them are academic, some of them are based on community participation, some... I don't know if they're -- I don't know if they're, they have different criteria. I guess I should've asked you that sooner.

PK: No, Mika would be good to answer that.

MR: There's other scholarships named after other people that are based on different criteria than Grandma's.

RK: What is, what are they?

MR: Oh, well, we can talk about that later.

RK: Well, it's probably important.

MR: Well, yeah, I mean, I don't think that the other scholarships have... they focus on other things that I think are important to recognize in young people, and the Aki Kurose scholarship happens, happens to have its focus on young people who are committed to social justice and engaged in that work. And at graduation have the goal of either becoming a teacher or some other way involved in promoting social justice and racial equity. That sounds right.

EK: Perfect, thank you. I just, I've heard about the Aki Kurose Memorial Scholarship, throughout going to a Seattle Public School, and I just want to say that the scholarship is really just a wonderful way to, like you said, Paul, commemorate the values that Aki Kurose stood for. And also, I think that anybody who is able to receive it is truly like, it's such an honor to receive such an award. So thank you for -- or scholarship. So thank you for sharing about the scholarship, Paul, Ruthann, and Mika.