from left: Mr.James E. Wenzloff, Matsubara, Dr. Raymond Kettle,



My testimonial activity near Detroit, Michigan, on May 30th, 2000 was organized by Communication and Management Training Department at Macomb International School District (MISD) in Macomb* County, located in North-East distance from Detroit.

In 1999, Mr. James E. Wenzloff, an instructional technology consultant at MISD and a former junior high school history teacher, contacted me by e-mail and requested me to speak to Macomb County school children over an interactive distance-learning system via video. I asked several parties concerned about how to conduct this picture phone project; however, no one could offer me any assistance. Therefore, in addition to going to the United Nations headquarters, which I had already planed to do, I decided to visit Michigan to tell my story and negotiate about the possibility of realizing the project.

My speaking arrangement was realized as part of a program called "ASK" that has been created and implemented by Dr. Raymond Kettle, a children's literature expert and associate professor of education at University of Michigan-Dearborn. "ASK" stands for: A= Authors, S= Specialist, K= Knowledge. According to the goals of this project students read children's books, write journals, discuss the topics in class and study interview technique. After learning interview skill, students are expected to interview authors or people closely related to the stories they read. This time students had been assigned to read Sadako and One Thousand Paper Cranes by Elenor Coerr, Hiroshima No Pica by Toshi and Iri Maruki, and Hiroshima by John Harcy. They chose me as a speaker who was deeply related to Hiroshima.

In this respect, my speaking activity in Michigan was realized as a co-project of MISD, via video interactive distance- learning project, and Dr. Kettle's ASK project.

On May 30th, I spoke twice at different places. In the morning, 60 sixth-graders from Eisenhower Elementary came to the MISD Center and we connected via video to 30 sixth-graders from Crothers Elementary located 24 km away; from MISD; therefore, I spoke to 90 students. After my 20- minute speech, we had 40- minute Q & A session. Being well- prepared by reading the book, Sadako and The One Thousand Paper Cranes, and making questions beforehand, I received more than 20 excellent questions. At that time, two newspapers: the Detroit News, a leading newspaper in Michigan, and the Macomb Daily, a local newspaper, were present in order to coverthis activity.

In the afternoon, I visited Beck Centennial Elementary and talked to 30 sixth-graders and 30 seventh-graders from Mason Junior High School located about 48 km away from Beck via video. Here, I also received more than 20 well-prepared questions. After the Q & A session, Beck students sang "Ame Ame Fure Fure," a Japanese children's a song, both in Japanese and English. , Finally, I was surrounded by many students, requested my autograph, and we hugged each other; it was an event that will continue to touch us all for many years to come, I think.



On the morning of May 31st, I visited University of Michigan- Dearborn and spoke to about 40 students, who were preparing for becoming school teachers, for 30 minutes. Then, we took 30- minute Q & A session. Being trained to become teachers, these students asked more than 15 outstanding questions, such as "From what grade are children taught about Hiroshima and peace in Japan?" and "What kind of stance or position did your family take during the war?" were asked.

In the afternoon, I visited Star of the See Junior High School and spoke to about 60 seventh-graders. They seriously listened to my speech from beginning to end, and they asked me great questions: "Sadako thought of August 6th ceremony as a festival. How do you feel that more and more children become to think like Sadako did?," and "Do you have any events in daily life that remind you of August 6th (e.g. a certain smell)?," and "Do you have hatred toward Japanese government that didn't give necessary relief to survivors soon after the war?" At this school, I was also asked my autograph from at least 30 male students.

Through the experience at Macomb County Schools and the university, I realized that students were able to ask solid, insightful questions by participating in the ASK project of reading, thinking, and discussing. I think this ASK project is one of the valuable Peace Education methods that should be practiced in Japan, too.



*
Macomb County is located northeast of Detroit, and there are 21 local school districts and 120,000 public school students within county's 510 square miles. MISD started its distance learning class via video in 1998 (our group started in November 1998.) So far, MISD has provided distance-learning events for students that have included a Holocaust survivor, Kosovo refugees, an award winning author, and so on. Within two years, they are planning to create new system which will be able to connect all 250 schools in Macomb County via video and have class all at once.



The next day, two local major newspapers The Detroit News and The Macomb Daily, had coverage of my activities and carried some students' impressions.

The Detroit News

Some historians have argued that many more Americans and Japanese would have died if the United States had been forced to invade the Japanese islands in World War Ⅱ.　But Alleysha Tucker,12,also of Fraser,disagreed after listening to Matsubara."The bomb killed many more people than if it never had been dropped,"Alleysha said. David Griffith,11,of Fraser said " My grandfather was in World War Ⅱ,and he says we never should have dropped the atomic bomb."

The Macomb Daily

"It's sad that Japanese people had to be bombed , "said Alleysha Tucker an Eisenhower student. Kevin Dib,Eisenhower teacher,said Matsubara's first-hand account was a real "eye opener" for his students. "A lot of these kids never heard of Hiroshima," he said. "It really brings it home for them."



Photos by James E. Wenzloff