Interviews
Key
Bold = Student Questions
Regular = Responses
Bold = Student Questions
Regular = Responses
Yaeko Aihara (1925)
Where were you living during the 60s and 70s?
During the 60s and 70s, I lived in Montebello. I moved in 1961, into an old house.
What is one thing that really sticks out to you when you remember the 60’s and 70’s?
I remember I was so busy raising my four children, taking care of my family.
Did you participate in any protests? Why or why not?
Never. It is not in my nature; I'm not an “activist.” I stay in the background because my parents were in the background. My mother and father had no constitutional rights, so I could not inherit that. They could not become citizens because they were not white. They were “ese’s,” the first wave of immigrants.
Did you agree with the Vietnam war? Why or why not?
No, I did not. I was so busy during the war. I do not vaguely remember. I had no business there in Vietnam. I remember it was to fight the communist, that’s the only thing I could think of. The communist won. We lost a lot of U.S. soldiers.
What was your reaction to images of the Civil rights movement?
I think it was very positive, and finally something positive was happening. MLK is the father of the civil rights movement; he really made it work.
What did you like about MLK?
He had the courage to speak up. People knew segregation was wrong and did not do anything. He was a very courageous man.
What was the civil rights movement like on the West/East Coast?
It was not as active as it was in Washington. It was mostly in the South because most African Americans lived in the South. It started somewhere in the South; the concentration of the civil rights movement started there. Deep south is where most of the blacks lived. They were treated like animals; they had separate bathrooms and sat in the back of the buses. There were no segregated toilets in the West Coast, very few blacks lived here.
What was the women’s movement like?
I don't even think of it. I was a housewife for twenty-one years. To me, women’s lives did not concern me because I was part of the general American society. It did not affect me. Some women did have to go to work. I was not part of the women’s movements.
What were people’s reaction to the Watergate scandal?
Disgusting, I was disgusted. They tried to hide it, it was a cover up. He tried to hide something, but it eventually came out. I have forgotten all of that, but I remember Nixon had to resign.
Did you prepare for nuclear war or did you not believe it would happen?
When I went to central California, one of my friends in Livermore had a basement just in case. They all had basements, in case of an atomic bomb attack. They had them in order to escape the atomic bomb. They dug basements and had supplies for the family. I thought they were over reacting. I never prepared like that, I did not think it would ever happen here.
What was the mood like after John F. Kennedy died?
One whole week, the whole nation cried. It was very sad. It was sickening that someone would hate what President Kennedy stood for. There are still people who hate blacks; they are called “rednecks.” I think his death had to do with race. It was such a sad time for our country. Everybody remembers it. I remember I was in a beauty shop when that came on television. It was a very very sad time.
During the 60s and 70s, I lived in Montebello. I moved in 1961, into an old house.
What is one thing that really sticks out to you when you remember the 60’s and 70’s?
I remember I was so busy raising my four children, taking care of my family.
Did you participate in any protests? Why or why not?
Never. It is not in my nature; I'm not an “activist.” I stay in the background because my parents were in the background. My mother and father had no constitutional rights, so I could not inherit that. They could not become citizens because they were not white. They were “ese’s,” the first wave of immigrants.
Did you agree with the Vietnam war? Why or why not?
No, I did not. I was so busy during the war. I do not vaguely remember. I had no business there in Vietnam. I remember it was to fight the communist, that’s the only thing I could think of. The communist won. We lost a lot of U.S. soldiers.
What was your reaction to images of the Civil rights movement?
I think it was very positive, and finally something positive was happening. MLK is the father of the civil rights movement; he really made it work.
What did you like about MLK?
He had the courage to speak up. People knew segregation was wrong and did not do anything. He was a very courageous man.
What was the civil rights movement like on the West/East Coast?
It was not as active as it was in Washington. It was mostly in the South because most African Americans lived in the South. It started somewhere in the South; the concentration of the civil rights movement started there. Deep south is where most of the blacks lived. They were treated like animals; they had separate bathrooms and sat in the back of the buses. There were no segregated toilets in the West Coast, very few blacks lived here.
What was the women’s movement like?
I don't even think of it. I was a housewife for twenty-one years. To me, women’s lives did not concern me because I was part of the general American society. It did not affect me. Some women did have to go to work. I was not part of the women’s movements.
What were people’s reaction to the Watergate scandal?
Disgusting, I was disgusted. They tried to hide it, it was a cover up. He tried to hide something, but it eventually came out. I have forgotten all of that, but I remember Nixon had to resign.
Did you prepare for nuclear war or did you not believe it would happen?
When I went to central California, one of my friends in Livermore had a basement just in case. They all had basements, in case of an atomic bomb attack. They had them in order to escape the atomic bomb. They dug basements and had supplies for the family. I thought they were over reacting. I never prepared like that, I did not think it would ever happen here.
What was the mood like after John F. Kennedy died?
One whole week, the whole nation cried. It was very sad. It was sickening that someone would hate what President Kennedy stood for. There are still people who hate blacks; they are called “rednecks.” I think his death had to do with race. It was such a sad time for our country. Everybody remembers it. I remember I was in a beauty shop when that came on television. It was a very very sad time.
Roland Betts (1941)
Vivian Matt (1945)
Where were you living during the 60s and 70s?
In the 60’s I lived in Seattle and I also moved to the San Francisco area, but it was more like . . . uhh . . . I’m trying to think of that town. It started with a C. It was near Hayword. And I also lived in the city.
What is one thing that really sticks out to you when you remember the 60’s and 70’s?
Uhhh.
Is that too broad?
Yeah, uh, let’s do sixties first. Getting married. Actually, I could say, moving away from home. Oh, but one that sticks out in my memory was I was in high school when JFK was assassinated. I was actually skipping school that day and I was watching TV and it came on. It was a total shock.
What was the mood like after JFK died?
It was really sad. And everyone was affected because they actually televised that whole tragedy and it was probably the first time that people saw something like that on TV. In fact, my whole family, my brothers, my mom, my dad. Everyone was in the front room and we were just glued to the TV. And it was just continuous coverage. And the man who killed him. We saw when he was shot too.
What was the mood when that happened?
I mean it was still kind of strange. No one was like “Yay!” or anything like that because there was a lot of unanswered questions.
Did you participate in any protests?
I did not. But my brother Don did. He protested the Vietnam war where him and a lot of University of Washington students went and blocked the freeway. They made all of those people stuck.
Was he arrested?
No, but you know people were hit by police and my father was a cop, so it was kind of weird because they were on opposing sides.
Did you agree with the Vietnam war?
I was still a little confused even why it was happening. It seemed to me that the young people at the time were against it. It just didn’t seem right.
What did you parents think?
My parents were probably more status quo with all the other older people. I don’t think they wanted war. But they were more, they didn’t do anything against the government.
What was your reaction to images of the Civil rights movement?
Those times were really stunning and they made you stand up and think about what was accepted. When I was a senior they did discuss it but, umm, I really do believe the US was not facing the problem.
What was it like when Martin Luther King was shot?
That was really sad. Everyone was really sad. We were all pretty shock.
What was the civil rights movement like on the West/East Coast?
It was sort of like, when I was growing up, if you had a black boyfriend, it was really considered not good for the family. It was considered taboo.
What about between [Native America] and Whites?
Well I remember my oldest brother had a white girlfriend and her parents making them break up which was really sad because he really loved her.
What about between a Native American person and a black person?
Well my folks were absolutely against that. I mean, my friend got pregnant by and african american man and she was immediately disowned, but when I saw people stand up for their rights, it was so strong.
What was the women’s movement like?
It was pretty amazing too because I think it really put women at a strong level ten they previously were. The pill was a liberating thing and women’s rights were about not being treated disrespectfully in the workplace and in the streets.
Were people disrespectful to you?
I mean I wasn’t really at that place where I wanted to break the glass ceiling. But I think it was really important the women wanted to be powerful.
What were people’s reaction to the Watergate scandal?
What year was that?
74’.
I listened to the news all the time but I was also a young mother of two and married and there was a lot happening in my personal life. Actually, I didn’t really understand that until I saw that movie about it.
All the President’s Men?
Yeah, that one!
Did you prepare for nuclear war or did you not believe it would happen?
When I was young, to think of Russia, I thought of it as the most scary place to go in the world. We never had a bomb shelter but we talked about it. I thought it was a high possibility that a nuclear war would happen.
What was it like when the US landed on the moon?
Umm, that was pretty exciting. You know, I thought it was absolutely amazing. I was really interested to find out about what it was like when they came back. I was really interested in what they did when they came back. But, I think it was really hard to understand what it was like for them because all we could see was images, we could never really understand it.
In the 60’s I lived in Seattle and I also moved to the San Francisco area, but it was more like . . . uhh . . . I’m trying to think of that town. It started with a C. It was near Hayword. And I also lived in the city.
What is one thing that really sticks out to you when you remember the 60’s and 70’s?
Uhhh.
Is that too broad?
Yeah, uh, let’s do sixties first. Getting married. Actually, I could say, moving away from home. Oh, but one that sticks out in my memory was I was in high school when JFK was assassinated. I was actually skipping school that day and I was watching TV and it came on. It was a total shock.
What was the mood like after JFK died?
It was really sad. And everyone was affected because they actually televised that whole tragedy and it was probably the first time that people saw something like that on TV. In fact, my whole family, my brothers, my mom, my dad. Everyone was in the front room and we were just glued to the TV. And it was just continuous coverage. And the man who killed him. We saw when he was shot too.
What was the mood when that happened?
I mean it was still kind of strange. No one was like “Yay!” or anything like that because there was a lot of unanswered questions.
Did you participate in any protests?
I did not. But my brother Don did. He protested the Vietnam war where him and a lot of University of Washington students went and blocked the freeway. They made all of those people stuck.
Was he arrested?
No, but you know people were hit by police and my father was a cop, so it was kind of weird because they were on opposing sides.
Did you agree with the Vietnam war?
I was still a little confused even why it was happening. It seemed to me that the young people at the time were against it. It just didn’t seem right.
What did you parents think?
My parents were probably more status quo with all the other older people. I don’t think they wanted war. But they were more, they didn’t do anything against the government.
What was your reaction to images of the Civil rights movement?
Those times were really stunning and they made you stand up and think about what was accepted. When I was a senior they did discuss it but, umm, I really do believe the US was not facing the problem.
What was it like when Martin Luther King was shot?
That was really sad. Everyone was really sad. We were all pretty shock.
What was the civil rights movement like on the West/East Coast?
It was sort of like, when I was growing up, if you had a black boyfriend, it was really considered not good for the family. It was considered taboo.
What about between [Native America] and Whites?
Well I remember my oldest brother had a white girlfriend and her parents making them break up which was really sad because he really loved her.
What about between a Native American person and a black person?
Well my folks were absolutely against that. I mean, my friend got pregnant by and african american man and she was immediately disowned, but when I saw people stand up for their rights, it was so strong.
What was the women’s movement like?
It was pretty amazing too because I think it really put women at a strong level ten they previously were. The pill was a liberating thing and women’s rights were about not being treated disrespectfully in the workplace and in the streets.
Were people disrespectful to you?
I mean I wasn’t really at that place where I wanted to break the glass ceiling. But I think it was really important the women wanted to be powerful.
What were people’s reaction to the Watergate scandal?
What year was that?
74’.
I listened to the news all the time but I was also a young mother of two and married and there was a lot happening in my personal life. Actually, I didn’t really understand that until I saw that movie about it.
All the President’s Men?
Yeah, that one!
Did you prepare for nuclear war or did you not believe it would happen?
When I was young, to think of Russia, I thought of it as the most scary place to go in the world. We never had a bomb shelter but we talked about it. I thought it was a high possibility that a nuclear war would happen.
What was it like when the US landed on the moon?
Umm, that was pretty exciting. You know, I thought it was absolutely amazing. I was really interested to find out about what it was like when they came back. I was really interested in what they did when they came back. But, I think it was really hard to understand what it was like for them because all we could see was images, we could never really understand it.
Edward Lieberman (1948)
What is your name? Where were you living during the 60s and 70s?
My name is Edward Lieberman. In the beginning of the sixties I was living in New York City. Then I went to Toledo, Ohio for college, and I spent time in Georgia. A few years later, I traveled to the West Coast, where I am currently living.
What is one thing that really sticks out to you when you remember the 60’s and 70’s?
Music of sixties and seventies and that was all part of the culture America was going to. The Cultural Revolution began; it changed America.
Did you participate in any protests?
I was a participant in it even though I did not agree with it. I did not agree with the war. I was in the background when the protests occurred.
Did you agree with the Vietnam war?
No. I was not drafted, in college I was part of the first draft. That year they only got 195, and I was excused. I probably do something about it because I did not feel like it would suit me in the war.
What was your reaction to images of the Civil rights movement?
I saw the terrible images that were portrayed in the media but I was not an active participant, like I said before.
What was the civil rights movement like on the West/East Coast?
I was in the midwest, in Toledo, Ohio when the uprising was happening. I did not pay a lot of attention of it to be quite honest.
What was the women’s movement like?
The women’s movement was actually great, because it made women freer. I am definitely a proponent of women being in office and having powerful positions; I believe they were equally as smart as men. In the 60s and the 70s, as a young man, I loved the women’s movement because they became a freer person and everything came more lax. I agreed with the fact that women were equal to men.
What were people’s reaction to the Watergate scandal?
Nixon was not overly popular. They got really uhh you know; Watergate was umm they impeach the president. The guy did a bad thing, I think initially he was a good guy but end up being caught up into the politics.
Did you prepare for nuclear war or did you not believe it would happen?
Hm, I do not completely remember because I was in college.
What was the mood like after JFK died?
Terrible. I remember I was a Junior in Junior High school in the Bronx in New York City. It was a very sad time in America, very sad sad time in America.
My name is Edward Lieberman. In the beginning of the sixties I was living in New York City. Then I went to Toledo, Ohio for college, and I spent time in Georgia. A few years later, I traveled to the West Coast, where I am currently living.
What is one thing that really sticks out to you when you remember the 60’s and 70’s?
Music of sixties and seventies and that was all part of the culture America was going to. The Cultural Revolution began; it changed America.
Did you participate in any protests?
I was a participant in it even though I did not agree with it. I did not agree with the war. I was in the background when the protests occurred.
Did you agree with the Vietnam war?
No. I was not drafted, in college I was part of the first draft. That year they only got 195, and I was excused. I probably do something about it because I did not feel like it would suit me in the war.
What was your reaction to images of the Civil rights movement?
I saw the terrible images that were portrayed in the media but I was not an active participant, like I said before.
What was the civil rights movement like on the West/East Coast?
I was in the midwest, in Toledo, Ohio when the uprising was happening. I did not pay a lot of attention of it to be quite honest.
What was the women’s movement like?
The women’s movement was actually great, because it made women freer. I am definitely a proponent of women being in office and having powerful positions; I believe they were equally as smart as men. In the 60s and the 70s, as a young man, I loved the women’s movement because they became a freer person and everything came more lax. I agreed with the fact that women were equal to men.
What were people’s reaction to the Watergate scandal?
Nixon was not overly popular. They got really uhh you know; Watergate was umm they impeach the president. The guy did a bad thing, I think initially he was a good guy but end up being caught up into the politics.
Did you prepare for nuclear war or did you not believe it would happen?
Hm, I do not completely remember because I was in college.
What was the mood like after JFK died?
Terrible. I remember I was a Junior in Junior High school in the Bronx in New York City. It was a very sad time in America, very sad sad time in America.
Dean Aihara (1955)
Where were you living during the 60s and 70s?
In the 60s I was living in East Los Angeles. I grew up from 1955 to 1961 in East Los Angeles and moved in Montebello in 1961.
What is one thing that really sticks out to you when you remember the 60’s and 70’s?
The price of food and gas because it was so cheap. I remember the gas was twenty cents a gallon and a pastrami sandwich was forty-five cents. My dad used to take me around the stands, and took me to all the food places.
Did you participate in any protests?
No because I was in my early teens.
Did you agree with the Vietnam war?
No I did not because it was a war I did not understand. I did not understand the war. I heard that a lot of people were killed. I could never understand why we were in war with Vietnam. I was against it from the start; I am still against it.
What was your reaction to images of the Civil Rights movement?
It was great. It was something I thought that should have been done a long time ago. Because you know, our family had a similar experience with the internment camps. We were deprived of our civil rights without due process. I thought that was a huge injustice. The African Americans were suffering the same way. They are still corralled in a same sense of segregation and discrimination.
What was the civil rights movement like on the West/East Coast?
The civil rights movement started in Georgia with Dr. King. I do not think it was an East or West Coast issue. It was a national issue. I was very interested in Dr. King and I was interested in the crowds he got when he spoke. I was in sixth grade, I heard about Dr. King in school because one of my classmates did a book report on him. Then I realized how great of a civil rights leader he was. I had a very young perspective of him because I was very young but it impacted my life very much.
What was the women’s movement like?
I really did not pay much attention to it. It was not really an issue, a social issue. Because most of the women I knew in my life were very successful.
What were people’s reaction to the Watergate scandal?
It was very anti-government mood. I remember when I was in high school, the scandal was at it’s highest point. I really thought the government was very corrupt, and my friends thought that too.
Did you prepare for nuclear war or did you not believe it would happen?
No.
What was the mood like after John F. Kennedy died?
I was an eight or nine year old kid when he died. Everybody was very very sad, everyone was crying. Everyone asked, “How could that happen to our country, to our president.” No one said, “he deserved it,” there was no negative reaction. It was huge outbreak of sympathy for the presidential family. I still remember that day. There was a gal who came in during class, and gave a note to the teacher. The teacher said “The President of the United States is dead,” I remember some girl started screaming.
In the 60s I was living in East Los Angeles. I grew up from 1955 to 1961 in East Los Angeles and moved in Montebello in 1961.
What is one thing that really sticks out to you when you remember the 60’s and 70’s?
The price of food and gas because it was so cheap. I remember the gas was twenty cents a gallon and a pastrami sandwich was forty-five cents. My dad used to take me around the stands, and took me to all the food places.
Did you participate in any protests?
No because I was in my early teens.
Did you agree with the Vietnam war?
No I did not because it was a war I did not understand. I did not understand the war. I heard that a lot of people were killed. I could never understand why we were in war with Vietnam. I was against it from the start; I am still against it.
What was your reaction to images of the Civil Rights movement?
It was great. It was something I thought that should have been done a long time ago. Because you know, our family had a similar experience with the internment camps. We were deprived of our civil rights without due process. I thought that was a huge injustice. The African Americans were suffering the same way. They are still corralled in a same sense of segregation and discrimination.
What was the civil rights movement like on the West/East Coast?
The civil rights movement started in Georgia with Dr. King. I do not think it was an East or West Coast issue. It was a national issue. I was very interested in Dr. King and I was interested in the crowds he got when he spoke. I was in sixth grade, I heard about Dr. King in school because one of my classmates did a book report on him. Then I realized how great of a civil rights leader he was. I had a very young perspective of him because I was very young but it impacted my life very much.
What was the women’s movement like?
I really did not pay much attention to it. It was not really an issue, a social issue. Because most of the women I knew in my life were very successful.
What were people’s reaction to the Watergate scandal?
It was very anti-government mood. I remember when I was in high school, the scandal was at it’s highest point. I really thought the government was very corrupt, and my friends thought that too.
Did you prepare for nuclear war or did you not believe it would happen?
No.
What was the mood like after John F. Kennedy died?
I was an eight or nine year old kid when he died. Everybody was very very sad, everyone was crying. Everyone asked, “How could that happen to our country, to our president.” No one said, “he deserved it,” there was no negative reaction. It was huge outbreak of sympathy for the presidential family. I still remember that day. There was a gal who came in during class, and gave a note to the teacher. The teacher said “The President of the United States is dead,” I remember some girl started screaming.