The Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo will host the annual Los Angeles Day of Remembrance on Saturday, Feb. 17.
The free event commemorates the 82nd anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The order authorized the U.S. military to forcibly remove persons of Japanese ancestry from their homes, setting into motion their incarceration into “relocation” or concentration camps during World War II, officials said.
Saturday’s ceremony will honor Martha Nakagawa, Min Tonai and Alan Nishio — three community members who each fought for justice in their own way, organizers said. The afternoon will include artistic and musical performances and calls to action, starting at 2 p.m.
This year’s Day of Remembrance theme is “Rooted in Resistance: Fighting for Justice during World War II.” Museum officials said the theme reinforces the importance of standing up for justice in times of great moral crisis — from the draft resisters and the No-No Boys, to those who protested through quiet hunger strikes or chanting crowds.
“Resistance has taken many forms since World War II, and we will hear truth and testimony from those who remember and honor these stories—Diana Tsuchida, Kyoko Oda, Tak Hoshizaki, and Soji Kashiwagi.”
The museum’s ongoing core exhibition, Common Ground, tells stories from incarceration and includes barracks from the Heart Mountain concentration camp. Also, the interactive “Ireicho: Sacred Book of Names” display contains the first comprehensive listing of over 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated in U.S. Army, Department of Justice, Wartime Civil Control Administration, and War Relocation Authority camps. The experience is part of an effort to create a national memorial to the victims of WWII incarceration, officials said.
Tickets for Saturday’s Day of Remembrance ceremony are recommended. The 2 p.m. event will be livestreamed…
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