You know, I’ve heard the stories about what my dad went through and especially my grandfather, but you know, for me, I really can’t point to any discrimination I think, direct. I mean maybe it happened and I didn’t know it but even going back east, I didn’t really feel a lot of it.
I think the big advantage for me was growing up in Hawaii where basically everyone is like me – Hapa Haole. You know, all my best friends are the same racial mix as myself or a lot of them. So I think that sort of diversity in Hawaii really made me feel comfortable and confident about who I am and maybe as a result of that, I was just thicker skinned to it. I’m used to jokes – racial jokes. I liked racial jokes. I think they’re funny. I think it’s kind of cool to notice the differences and make fun. Some people are more sensitive to it, I just have thicker skin. So if it did happen to me, I wasn’t aware of it.
Date: June 1, 2006
Location: Hawai'i, US
Interviewer: Akemi Kikumura Yano
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
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