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Transcription: [00:05:54]
{SPEAKER name="Jasmine Fernandez"}
What are the classic stories, jokes or songs in your family that you can share with us?

[00:05:59]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
You know, I-um

[00:06:02]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
I can't recall anything specific. What I can recall is one thing that my grandmother always used to say to me which
I guess could fall in one of those categories

[00:06:16]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
but it was more of a curse than anything and she always used to say,

[00:06:22]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
'Roger remember whatever you do in life, whether it's good or bad, will reflect upon the entire Japanese race.'

[00:06:31]
{SPEAKER name="Jasmine Fernandez"}
Wow.

[00:06:32]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
And boy, she used to tell me that at every opportunity she had

[00:06:37]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
and I remember hearing that when I was young and really didn't appreciate, you know, the full meaning of that but then later on, I started to see it in play.

[00:06:48]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
Uh I started to see it in the values that were expressed by you know my mother and father um you know this sort of overt consciousness about what are they gonna think?

[00:07:02]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
You know if you do that, then of course my feeling was who cares what they think, you know?

[00:07:11]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
Um so, you know, suddenly the Americanization, you know, of the family right?

[00:07:17]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
Um. But, you know, I have to say that even today, at the age that I'm at, I can still hear my grandmother saying that to me.

[00:07:26]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
And um although I would hate to admit it, I think I bought into some of it.
{SPEAKER name="Jasmine Fernandez"}
Mhm

[00:07:35]
{SPEAKER name="Roger Shimomura"}
Fortunately, you know, I've never been in a situation I could recall, at least, that I said that to my kids. So I think that, hopefully I ended that tradition, I made it a short tradition.

[00:07:53]
{SPEAKER name="Jasmine Fernandez"}
(laugh) That's some powerful words to say. In regards to your art, then
[00:07:59]