And were there ever events or times when the
whole town would be together? Chinese, Japanese,
and the whites, like maybe Fourth of July
or something that everyone would be together?
No, never did. We did our own, Japanese celebrated
our own like New Year's, Fourth of July. Then
during the Fourth of July, we had a community
picnic, you know, where the Oriental School
was in the back? That was once a year, they
all come in to get together. The whole town
and the people that live out in the ranch,
whoever wants to come to the picnic, more
like a reunion type. And they had a good time.
So what about for the kids? When you were
growing up before the war, how much interaction
did you have with the white kids?
We didn't have no relation at all, because
we don't get to see each other. Only time
we get to see each other was we play basketball,
baseball against each other.
Now, but later on, in high school, the school
there --
High school, we had busses coming in, we went
to Courtland High School. And they have busses
just strictly for the Japanese people that
lives in Walnut Grove. So we had two busses
just for Japanese people to go to the Courtland
High School. That many kids were going there.
But when they got to this high school, it
was integrated. It was whites and...
High school, yeah. That's the only time, so
we weren't too close with them.
So I'm curious if you ever went to like a
graduation ceremony at the high school. So
there you're graduating Japanese, Chinese,
and whites. So that would be a case where
all the people would be there.
Yeah.
And I'm curious, in those kind of events,
if you had whites and Japanese and Chinese,
what kind of interaction would you observe?
What would you kind of see, do you think,
amongst the groups? I mean, did they all sit
in different parts?
Yeah, see, what happened, see, they're not
really close, so when you to eat in the cafeteria,
the white people eat certain area, white,
Chinese, Japanese. It's kind of a, more like
segregated, too. And the busses, too, same
thing, too. We get the leftover busses, you
know, the one that's about ready to turn in.
They get, the white people get the good busses.
And whatever leftovers, we used to get it,
give it to the Japanese.
And how would you and your friends feel about
that? Were there times where you would know
that you would get the leftover busses? Did
that ever cause you any kind of concern...
No, because nothing we can do. It's not like
the generation now. They could take you to
court and all that, but what can we do? We
just have to take it, what they give you.
