Paul Muneta = Paul Nakaataro Muneta
Joann Muneta = Joann Leopold Muneta
Joann Muneta (PAAA, Festival Dance, Latah County Human Rights Task Force)
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Joann Muneta <jmuneta43@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 4, 2024 at 4:51 PM
Subject: Staircase dedication thank you
Thank you to all who attended the PAAA Staircase Dedication at the 1912 Center last Saturday, March 30.
With
20 in attendance, we shared one of our traditional meals and talked of
remembrances of good times with PAAA. It looks like we all value PAAA
too much to let it go completely. Jim Migaki, who could not be present,
sent a suggestion through Dave Ackley that we continue to have one PAAA
meeting a year. Sounds of agreement met this idea, and suggestions were
made for an annual October dinner meeting at Mandarin Pine Restaurant in
Lewiston, or an annual Lunar New Year dinner at the Emerald in Pullman,
(Louise Regelin votes that we do both.)
We also need to remember
that we still have a little over $2,000 in our bank account to
administer or distribute, and we are working with the UI Foundation to
ensure a way to continue PAAA management of the Marie and Mi Lew PAAA
Scholarship Endowment at UI. Janet Murai, Priscilla Wegars, Claire Chin
and I will meet with UI Foundation officers on April 9 to discuss this
matter and I will report back.
Meanwhile, I attach the PAAA History
that I have been working on for several weeks with help and guidance
from Lynn Ate, Priscilla Wegars and Nelly Zamora. This is the document
that will be archived for posterity at the Latah County Historical
Society along with past minutes and other documents. If you see any
glaring errors or omissions, please contact me immediately. As I said on
Saturday, I very much enjoyed this task because it brought back so many
happy memories of good times and friendships. It’s a remarkable history
of a remarkable group of people.
Happy Spring everyone. I will keep
in touch and will continue to send information about Asian related
events and news from the UI student Asian American Pacific Islander
Organization and the UI Habib Institute for Asian Studies. Feel free to
send me anything appropriate that you would like to share. One event to
watch for is the showing of our PAAA video, “Other Faces, Other Lives,”
at the Borah Theatre on April 26. I will tell you the time when I find
out. Also there will be an article about PAAA and our Staircase in the
Daily News on Saturday, May 4 - so watch for that.
Warm wishes,
Joann
:::
1
HISTORY OF THE PALOUSE ASIAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
By PAAA Secretary, Joann Muneta
Edit assistance: Lynn Ate, Priscilla Wegars
Asia in our hearts blending friendships old and new cultures intertwine
by Elsie Sakuma
In
1980, a handful of Asian and Asian American residents of Moscow and
Pullman came together with the idea of forming an organization that
would celebrate and share Asian culture here on the Palouse, benefiting
Asian and Asian American residents and educating the general public to
promote better understanding of Asian cultures. While such organizations
were usually limited to one culture, such as the Japanese American
Citizens League and Filipinos and Friends, the founding members of this
group represented Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino ethnicities. Their
intent was to be inclusive of all Asian cultures.
Little did they
realize how big and busy the Palouse Asian American Association was to
become, how long it would last, how many lives would be touched, and
what legacies would live on. Known as PAAA, it was incorporated as a
non-profit corporation in the State of Idaho in February 1982, and it
continued to have monthly meetings until 2020 when COVID-19 required an
end to in-person activities.
Recently in 2023, it became obvious that
the organization should officially cease having monthly meetings,
although members can and will continue to get together informally and
meet when needed.
Using some of the funds left in the savings
account, members decided to contribute to the community by dedicating a
flight of stairs between the Great Room and the Fiske Room in the Moscow
1912 Center, each step of which will have an engraved plaque to provide
a lasting memory in the place where so many PAAA meetings were held.
There are not enough stairs to list the names of all the founders,
officers, and members throughout the years, which number over 100. Even
though not all are included, all are remembered and valued. The official
dedication of the stairs will take place on Saturday, March 30,
appropriately starting with a luncheon at 11:30am, continuing the PAAA
tradition of sharing Asian food; “We meet to eat” was the organization’s
unofficial motto, and every meeting started with a potluck or took
place in an area Asian restaurant.
When the organization founders met
in 1980, they discussed what the organization could do to help Asians
and Asian Americans while also contributing to the communities of the
area. Of immediate interest was awarding scholarships to students at UI
and WSU with academic interest in Asia. Later it was suggested to donate
funds to area libraries for buying children’s books dealing with Asian
themes, very few of which were available at the time. In the beginning,
officers were elected for one-year terms, but somehow Paul Muneta was
elected as treasurer in 1982 and continued to be reelected and serve in
this position for 40 years until his passing in 2023.
2
To finance
the organization and community projects, it was decided to have a food
booth at the Moscow Renaissance Fair selling Asian food. This project
turned out to involve a lot of work but yielded profits from $1,000 to
$3,000 each year depending on the weather. Annual membership dues of $10
and donations also helped fund projects and cover meeting costs.
The
organization began to meet monthly, alternating a potluck meeting with
an Asian-themed program and a social meeting at an area restaurant. Over
the years the group ate at every Asian restaurant from Colfax to
Clarkston, but the clear favorite was the Mandarin Pine in Lewiston
where owner, Sheree Teng, prepared an elegant dinner including special
requests from PAAA members.
Not all members of PAAA were of Asian
ethnicity. There were non-Asian spouses and some families like Tim and
Diane Marsh, who had adopted Asian children, and wanted them to know
more about Asian culture. There were also some non-Asian couples like
Priscilla Wegars and husband, Terry Abraham, whose life studies and work
involved Asian culture; and there were others like Peter and Jolie Haug
who had taught English in China for twelve years. Some Asian couples
joined so that their children could have more exposure to Asian culture
than was otherwise available in Palouse communities. Most ethnicities
were Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino, but everyone was delighted when
three sisters from Guam joined and shared their cultures with the group.
Scholarship
plans were immediately successful. Starting in 1982, scholarships of
$250 were awarded to both a WSU and a UI student who demonstrated
interest and participation in Asian programs and projects. Endowments
for scholarships were set up at both the University of Idaho and
Washington State University. At UI the Palouse Asian American
Association Endowment was created in 1982 and later renamed the Marie
and Mi Lew Palouse Asian American Association Scholarship Endowment
which continues to be active, providing one or two scholarships a year
with amounts as high as $900. Marie & Mi Lew were founding members
of PAAA and the parents of Claire Chin. Claire and her husband Lennard
were also founding members.
The Lews were the first Chinese family to
settle in Moscow, and Marie Lew was the first person of Asian descent to
graduate from the University of Idaho.
Contributing to area
libraries to purchase children’s books with Asian themes was another use
of the Renaissance Fair funds. In addition to frequent contributions of
$200 to $300 to Moscow’s Latah County Library and Pullman’s Neill
Public Library, recipients included Lewis-Clark State College Library,
Asotin County Public Library in Clarkston, Whitman County Public Library
in Colfax, WSU Brain Education Library, the Lewiston City Library, and
the University of Idaho Library. Member Jeff Mio contributed a
children’s book he and his mother wrote, and 27 signed copies of “Polly
Bemis: A Chinese Pioneer,” a picture book for 4th graders and up written
by PAAA member and author, Priscilla Wegars, were donated to area
public and school libraries.
Other contributions were made assisting
community organizations to put on programs with Asian themes including
the WSU International Friendship Association, ($300 to help start the
Cruise the
3
World project,) the UI Asian American Pacific
Islander Association and the WSU Filipino American Association, (FASA).
PAAA members, Cesar and Nelly Zamora, were advisors of FASA from 1993 to
2003, when they retired. FASA is still active in 2024. Funds were also
donated to Festival Dance & Performing Arts to help support an
educational and cultural program offered free for area students by
Portland Taiko, and $300 was donated to the University of Idaho
International Friendship Association to help start a new program called
“Cruise the World,” which has become an annual, very popular
multicultural event at UI. Over the years thousands of dollars were
contributed in scholarships, books for libraries, and assistance to
Asian American organizations. One of the largest one-time donations was
the over $2,000 raised to aid those affected by the devasting April 2015
earthquake in Nepal.
In addition to program presentations at
bi-monthly meetings, PAAA sponsored lectures and educational programs,
helped UI and WSU sponsor the visits of Asian American and Asian
scholars, scientists, authors, poets, and cultural groups and helped the
UI Arboretum obtain Asian flora. The PAAA also provided travel grants
for students at all levels to attend national competitions in music,
future problem-solving, and other related themes.
PAAA sponsored
public presentations for the community by authors writing on
Asian-themed topics, including Mary Matsuda Gruenwald, author of
“Looking Like the Enemy,” her story of incarceration during World War
II, and Bill Porter – pen name Red Pine, who discussed his book, “Cold
Mountain: Han Shan Hermits.” The organization also provided free Tai Chi
classes first at the University of Idaho Physical Education Building
and then at Moscow’s East City Park; it offered Asian cooking classes
and various concerts and talks sharing Asian culture with the community.
The most recent sponsored activity was a March 2023 luncheon in honor
of visiting speaker, Keiko Ogura, a Hiroshima bomb survivor and peace
activist.
Two annual PAAA events became extremely popular. Attendance
grew each year for the Lunar New Year Banquet held at various Chinese
restaurants with delicious, specially chosen menus, and for the
Holiday/Christmas Party held at the 1912 Center which included food, of
course, plus entertainment, gift exchanges, and visits from Santa Claus –
yes, even Asian children enjoy presents and goodies. At one time as
many as 80 came to this event, though that number decreased over the
years as PAAA had fewer members with young children. At least 40
attended the Lunar New Year Banquet each year up until the last one held
in January 2020 which was attended by 43 people at Minh’s Restaurant in
Pullman. Attendees at the dinner had a moment of silence in sympathy
for the people of Wuhan, China, who had contracted a new unknown
pneumonia like disease. Little did the diners realize that was the start
of the Covid pandemic which would soon cover the world. That was the
last official PAAA monthly meeting. One of PAAA most notable
accomplishments was producing a documentary, “Other Faces, Other Lives:
Asian Americans in Idaho” as part of Idaho’s Centennial in 1990. This
video and project were sponsored by the Palouse Asian American
Association with the assistance of a grant from the Ethnic Heritage
Committee of the Idaho Centennial Commission. Lily Wai was the
4
project
administrator of the endeavor, which also included involvement by PAAA
members Jeff Mio, Loreca Stauber, and Joann Muneta. Muneta, Mio, and
videographer Alan Lifton traveled to Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Boise, and
Caldwell, as well as in Moscow to interview eight Asian American
families, specifically Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino, asking how they
or their families came to Idaho. They were also asked about their
experiences living in Idaho - whether they faced discrimination or
prejudice, how they raised their children in the environment, any
changes they had seen regarding Asians in Idaho, and how they felt about
intermarriages. Other interview topics included maintaining their
cultural heritage practices and identity, and if there were any benefits
of living in Idaho as an Asian American.
The results were revealing,
interesting, and historically valuable. A Japanese gentleman from
Pocatello told how he avoided being incarcerated at Camp Minidoka during
World War II by pretending to be a car mechanic, although he knew
nothing about the trade. It turned out he learned quickly, and the ruse
worked. A Filipino minister interviewed in Caldwell said that because
there was a 1921 Idaho law banning marriages between white people and
“mongolians, negroes or mulattoes,” he would have to take mixed couples
to Nevada to perform their wedding ceremonies. The amendment was not
repealed until 1959, two years after the U.S. Supreme Court Loving vs.
Virginia decision which eliminated laws against miscegenation. Work on
the hour-long video lasted from 1987-1990 when “Other Faces, Other
Lives” was broadcast on numerous Idaho PBS stations and shown at several
public meetings in Moscow. The video as well as all the full interviews
have been digitized by the University of Idaho Archives, thus
preserving an important part of Idaho history and a legacy of the PAAA.
Another initiative that benefitted from PAAA financial help and
volunteer time is the University of Idaho’s Asian American Comparative
Collection founded in 1982 by PAAA member Priscilla Wegars, then a
student in the UI’s History/Historical Archaeology program. Wegars
envisioned the AACC’s objective to be to obtain an actual example, or
where that is not possible, a photograph, of every representative object
of Asian manufacture that has been, or is likely to be, found in an
archaeological context in the western United States and Canada. The AACC
is now a unique resource containing artifacts, images, and documentary
material essential for understanding Asian American archaeological
sites, economic contributions, and cultural history.
The PAAA helped the
AACC with donations toward the purchase of books relevant to Japanese,
Chinese, and Filipino Americans, and the purchase of much-needed
Japanese objects for the AACC. In 1997, a donation of $500 was made
toward the purchase of computer software especially developed for
museums that the AACC could use to track acquisitions. Once the AACC
established an Endowment in 1990 the PAAA occasionally honored the AACC
with donations to the Endowment, as did several of its individual
members. In January 1993, some interested PAAA members formed the
Palouse Asian American Association Investment Club (PAAA-IC). The Club
met monthly in various members’ homes, contributing $25 per month and
researching stocks to buy and sell. When the PAAA-IC finally
5
disbanded
in late 2023, some $200,000 was distributed to the 12 remaining
members, not counting the many thousands of dollars that were previously
distributed to members who had withdrawn earlier. In 1999, the Club
donated $250 to sponsor an engraved paver with the name of PAAA to be
included at the Anne Frank Memorial in Boise. In its later years the
PAAA expanded and enriched its experiences by including membership and
meeting sites in rural Palouse at the Murai-Wolf Farm in Uniontown,
Washington and the Genesee Valley Daoist Hermitage in Genesee, Idaho. In
2001, the Genesee Valley Daoist Hermitage contacted PAAA as part of its
community outreach. In 2002 Da-Jin and Charlote Sun joined PAAA and
offered to host the April meeting and prepare a traditional Chinese
home-style banquet. They also offered to prepare some of the food for
the summer Renaissance Fair event. PAAA designed a new brochure
featuring illustrations of organically grown food from the hermitage
farm. From 2002 to 2020 the hermitage hosted the April PAAA meetings
which included potluck dinners. From time-to-time hermitage staff
offered teachings on qigong and other related topics.
The hermitage
sponsored Sasha Su-ling Welland from the University of Washington to
share her research about her Chinese American family which has been
published as “One Thousand Miles of Dreams.” They also hosted Bill
Porter when he traveled to Moscow to present his work on Daoist hermits
at the University of Idaho as well as to give a public lecture at the
1912 Building. Over the years PAAA members made financial contributions
to help sustain the Hermitage and to support their program that assists
needy children in remote China afford room and board to attend school.
Another annual tradition in later years was the fall PAAA meeting hosted
by PAAA president, Janet Murai and husband Seiichi Murai at their
historic Murai-Wolf farm in Uniontown. The Murais are close to
celebrating their 80th year of owning the farm, which is adjacent to the
100-year-old farm of Janet’s grandfather. Murais have raised wheat,
barley, peas and lentils, but now concentrate on wheat, garbanzos and
canola.
They joined PAAA in September 1998 and annual meetings at the
farm started in 2003. Each meeting included a potluck held in their
spacious barn followed by talks about farming on the Palouse and then
rides on their tractor and combine on the farm’s Palouse hills. The
rides were a big attraction for children as well as adventurous adults.
The list of the many events, organizations and people helped by the PAAA
and enriched by its programs goes on and on. Above all, the current and
past members of the organization treasure the memories of working
together and enjoying good food and fellowship which united them in
celebration of their various cultures no matter what their background or
heritage. This history is a wonderful example of the beauty and
strength of peaceful sharing of the human experience.
In the Palouse hills
Asia brought us together
our friendships
live on
by David Ackley
6
::::::::::
Paul Muneta died at age 91 onFeb. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho
::::::::::
On Sun, Dec 10, 2023 at 1:05 PM Joann Muneta <jmuneta43@gmail.com> wrote:
Greetings PAAA members, current and past:
The PAAA stopped holding regular meetings during the pandemic, and it has become extremely difficult to resume. We therefore are going to end the official part of our organization, although those of us who wish can still get together informally. We had $7,000 left in our bank account, and it was decided to use some of it to contribute to our community in a lasting way that would memorialize our organization. The project chosen was to “adopt” a flight of stairs at the Moscow 1912 Center.
What that means is that we contribute $500 a stair to have a small engraved plaque placed on the side of it. The stairs we chose are those going from the Great Room up to the Fiske Room. This seemed appropriate because so many of our parties and meetings were held in those two rooms and it will be visible from the Great Room. The 1912 is giving us the bottom of the stairs as well – 2 more plaques at no extra charge. It also turns out that during this December all contributions to the 1912 Center are being matched, so that our donation of $5,000 will bring in $10,000 for this worthwhile cause. We will still have $2,000 left in our account for future needs or projects.
We have had so many members over the past 42 years that it is impossible to list everyone. The names we chose are of people who helped start our organization in 1981, have worked on major projects, and those who have been faithful attendees in the past eight years.
ATTACHED IS THE LIST WE ARE PROPOSING. PLEASE CHECK YOUR NAME TO SEE IF SPELLING IS CORRECT. IF FOR ANY REASON YOU DON’T WANT YOUR NAME LISTED OR NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE, PLEASE RESPOND TO TELL ME THAT. BY DECEMBER 31. jmuneta43@gmail.com.
A dedication of the Stair Project is being planned to take place at the 1912 Center on Sunday, February 11, which is also Lunar New Year, so we can go out with a delicious dinner and fun gathering. More about that later. But save that date.
I am also working on a brief history of the organization, so if you have anything to contribute to that, please contact me. We will be sending most of our documents to be archived at the Latah County Historical Society.
Thank you for being a part of our beloved PAAA.
Best wishes
::::::::::::
PALOUSE
ASIAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
1981-2023
Asia
was the theme,
Sharing
cultures, good food, and tea.
Years
pass. Friendships last.
*Symbols
Denote Founders
*Lily
Wai, *Ya Yue Van
*Paul
& *Joann Muneta
*Loreca
Stauber
Cesar
& *Nelly Zamora
*Claire
& *Lennard Chin
Janet
& Seiichi Murai
Walter
& Dora Mih
Charlotte
& Da-Jin Sun
Linda
Christiansen
Priscilla
Wegars & Terry Abraham
Elsie
Sakuma, Ikuyo Suzuki
Lynn
Ate & Dave Ackley
Jim
Migaki, Jeff Mio
Tom
& Jo Ann Trail
Peter
& Jolie Haug
Xinhua
& Lynnsean Young
Tim
& Diane Marsh
Ning
Wang Hsu
Louise
Regelin, Lynn Wells
:::::::::::::
Paul Nakaataro Muneta
·
Feb 17, 2023 Moscow Pullman
Daily News
Paul Muneta, beloved
husband, father, grandfather, uncle and treasured friend of many, passed at the
age of 91 on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at home with his wife, Joann, and daughters
Mimi and Lori at his side. Paul’s long life was one of joy, kindness, generosity
and helping others. Everyone who knew him, and even just met him casually,
became someone he cared about and who cared about him.
Paul’s early years were spent living near the
Milwaukee Railroad roundhouse in Harlowton, Mont., where his father worked.
He was one of six children, including his
younger brother, Ed, older brother, Hank, and sisters, Amy, Jean and Kate, all
of whom remained close friends throughout his life.
Despite very modest beginnings, Paul had a
happy childhood playing and fishing with his brothers and friends from the
Yamamoto and Satake families who lived close by. He attended Harlowton High
School, where he played on the Engineers football team.
With the financial assistance of a lifelong
close family friend, Mr. Takahashi (Taka-San), Paul was able to attend Montana
State University (then Montana State College) and obtain his Bachelor of
Science in chemistry.
From there, he went to Cornell University
where he earned his Ph.D. in agricultural chemistry.
In the fall of 1955, he started dating Joann
Leopold, his lab partner in advanced plant physiology, and they were married in
June 1956. The couple had a wonderful life together and celebrated their 66th
anniversary last year.
In 1959, Paul accepted a position at the
University of Idaho in Moscow. He was at UI until 1996, specializing in
research in potatoes and dry beans, and teaching courses in food chemistry at
UI and WSU. He was a longtime member of Moscow Toastmasters, and a founding
member and treasurer of the Palouse Asian American Association, the P-M
Investment Club and the PAAA Investment Club.
As professor emeritus, Paul spent time with
family and friends, enjoying gardening, music, traveling and, most of all,
fishing, which he loved to share with others. Many a dedicated — and some
fanatic — fly fisherman got their start fishing with Paul. He had a fish list
and would distribute his catch of trout to friends throughout town. Paul’s
gentle yet strong, calm, loving, warm nature endeared him to many and inspired
and encouraged people of all ages.
The family wishes to thank Elite Home Health
and Hospice, Open Arms Home Care, Palouse Dementia Care and the Unitarian
Universalist Church of the Palouse Care Team for invaluable help in caring for
Paul. And special thanks to care givers Michelle Lovejoy, Tammie Hubner and
nurse Valerie Ells for their extraordinary kindness and dedication which
brightened Paul’s last days. Additionally, wife Joann expresses her deep
appreciation to her “team” of loving friends for their support and
thoughtfulness.
Paul is survived by wife Joann, daughters Mimi
Muneta Bradford (Jim,) and Lori Muneta (Shawn Pownell) granddaughter Anna
Bradford, brother Ed Muneta, and numerous nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and
grandnephews.
A celebration of life party for Paul will be
held in the spring. Memorial donations may be made to the Latah County Human
Rights Task Force, humanrightslatah.org.
Short’s Funeral Chapel of Moscow is in charge
of arrangements and condolences may be left at shortsfuneralchapel.com.
:::
Joann Muneta
Jan 19, 2018 Updated Feb 24, 2022 Lewiston Tribune
Title/occupation: Chairwoman of Latah County Human Rights Task Force; recently retired from 45 years in different positions at Festival Dance & Performing Arts.
Family: Husband, Paul; daughters Mimi and Lori, both with families in Colorado.
Education: Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from Cornell University in biochemical genetics.
Work history: Executive director and then education/outreach coordinator for Festival Dance & Performing Arts, which she helped found. Also a founder of the Moscow Arts Commission and Rendezvous in the Park.
Hobbies/interests: Dance, performing arts, swimming.
Do you have any hidden talents, or is there anything else that might surprise people about you?: Was a leader in saving Moscow's Old Post Office, which is now Moscow City Hall. Serves on the city of Moscow Farmers Market Commission, liaison to the city of Moscow Human Rights Commission.
::::
Casual Friday: A life mission of standing against hate
- By CRAIG CLOHESSY of the Lewiston Tribune
- Jan 19, 2018 Updated Feb 24, 2022
MOSCOW - If you can make a
difference, it is your obligation to do so.
That core belief has served as a
guiding light for Joann Muneta, 82, since she and her husband moved from New
York to Moscow nearly 60 years ago. She found it easier in a small community to
get involved and to advocate for diversity issues and against bigotry and
hatred.
"It's about having a world we
can live in safely with harmony and giving everyone a chance," she said.
"I have always found beauty and excitement and richness in
diversity."
Craig Clohessy: You serve as the
chairwoman of the Latah County Human Rights Task Force, which originally formed
in 1988. What got that organization going and how did you get involved?
Joann Muneta: Well, it was largely in response to the neo-Nazi movement
in northern Idaho - Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Lake. A number of us felt like we
had to do something and formed a loose organization to talk about what to do,
and that eventually morphed into the Latah County Human Rights Task Force.
CC: What are some of the larger
issues the task force has addressed over the years?
JM: Our basic mission is to oppose bigotry and hatred and to
celebrate diversity and inclusion. Actually, it used to be 'tolerance' and
we've changed it from tolerating people to including them. One of the larger
issues was the white supremacy movement in our state. And there were always
kind of feelers coming down. You would see posters on campus that were
obviously put up by the Aryan Nations. We knew they probably had their eye on
Moscow and we wanted to show that this was not a place that would welcome them.
At that time also, the Rev. Bill Wassmuth (a former Catholic priest who fought
against white supremacists) was organizing a Northwest coalition, which has
actually re-formed a few years ago. So there were task forces like ours that
were forming in several communities. The first one was Coeur d'Alene and they
were in the eye of the storm up there. And then Sandpoint and so on. We were
part of that coalition.
CC: What issues are being addressed
today by the Latah County Human Rights Task Force?
JM: We're cognizant of the national conversation and we always
want to show how it's relevant in our community, our county. Things we've
worked on have been anti-bullying and immigrant rights. We've been active in
trying to add the words 'sexual orientation and gender expression' to the state
anti-discrimination policy. ... We try to be very proactive, too. And
education, especially of young students, is part of what we do. That is evident
right now with the Martin Luther King art and essay contest. (Students submit
an essay or create an artistic piece in the medium of their choice about
equality and social, racial and ethnic justice. Winners are selected and
awarded scholarships.) Also, the past few years we've brought in Living Voices,
which is a drama group about social issues. It brings history to life and we
bring that program into the school. We sponsor movies, we collaborate with
other groups and we're active in helping to put on Finding the Center. That's a
Northwest coalition. I could go on and on.
CC: Have you personally experienced
situations - particularly in regard to your Jewish faith, or as a woman, or
about your husband, who is Japanese-American?
JM: I grew up during World War II, and my whole family in
Europe was wiped out. That's pretty personal. Over the years there have been
occasions, remarks. ... My husband, people always ask, was he (in a)
concentration camp in the United States. He was not because he lived in
Montana. But our sister-in-law who grew up in Seattle was in Minidoka (an
internment camp in Idaho) at the age of 5. All her life she couldn't talk about
it, it was such a scarring (event). ... So yes, being minorities, you're always
cognizant of the fact that things are different for minorities.
CC: Talk a little about the annual
MLK art and essay contest, breakfast and the recognition ceremony.
JM: This is the 25th breakfast. I'm not sure how long we've
been doing the art and essay contest. The first breakfast we did was (at) what
is now city hall. We had about 100 people attend. The second year we had more
and it was obvious we were bursting at the seams so we moved to the then-junior
high, now (Moscow) middle school. And it kind of evolved. We said, 'Let's do
something to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday.' Other people were doing
other things, so we had a breakfast. It evolved with adding the Rosa Parks
Human Rights Achievement Award, the art and essay contest. We've had some
amazing speakers over the years. I really think it's an important event because
it brings so many people together who are working on different things,
different parts of the community. I see them greet each other. ... (It's) like
they look forward to seeing each other at this event once a year, which
surprises me. It gives you an idea how active the community is and it's grown
more active over the years, which is something to be proud of, and also it
means there's a lot of things to be active about.
CC: Is there anything else you'd
like to add?
JM: You asked how I became active. When we came here to Moscow,
I was so shocked to find - this was even before the neo-Nazis - there was a
spate of swastikas being drawn on people's houses and cars in Pullman. I had
some very good friends who moved here and (one) was a survivor. Her father died
at Dachau (a Nazi concentration camp in Germany). To have her move here and see
Nazis marching in Coeur d'Alene, I think that's what made me an activist. A big
part of my activity has been with the arts. And I think when I work in the
arts, I'm working for human rights and when I'm working for human rights, I'm
working for the arts. It's important to bring art groups of different cultural
backgrounds for the students in our total area here, because we reach out to
the rural communities. It's an important way of teaching human rights without
lecturing to them. They learn about the cultures. Or they see a ballet company
with different backgrounds working together and I look to this as an important
part of what I've done over the past 40-some years.
.JPG)