Date
Sunday, 19 Feb 2017 5:30 PM
In the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the FBI rounded up thousands of Japanese immigrants who were detained without charges. Then, on February 19, 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, forcing 120,000 Japanese Americans into concentration camps. The Commission on the Wartime Relocation and Incarceration of Civilians concluded that this action was a result of “race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.”
The 37th Annual San Jose Day of Remembrance event takes place on the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066. The 2017 event carries the theme, “Stand Up To Hate.” Hundreds of people will gather together at this annual event not only to remember the great civil liberties tragedy that occurred 75 years ago, but also to reflect on the rising tensions that are building within our communities today and what we can do to build bridges of trust, respect, and friendship.
This event, hosted by the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee (SJNOC), is free and open to the public. Members of the Humanist Community will be in attendance. Since space might be limited, we won’t plan to sit together, but please look for us in the crowd!
Featured Speaker: Samina Masood
A featured speaker at the 37th Annual San Jose Day of Remembrance event will be Samina Masood, the Executive Director of Silicon Valley FACES. The mission of FACES is to build communities free of bias, bigotry, bullying, and violence. FACES recently hosted “Meet a Muslim” programs, diversity training workshops, and a Black Lives Matter discussion.
Featured Speaker: Congressman Mike Honda
Mike Honda, who served in Congress from 2001 to 2017, was incarcerated at the Amache internment camp. He recently wrote about his concerns over today’s rising tide of fear and bigotry in an op-ed for Reuters, “When my Japanese-American family was treated as less than human.”
Above, Mike Honda is held by his father when the family was incarcerated in Amache.
Cultural Performance: San Jose Taiko
</a>Once again, the San Jose Day of Remembrance will feature San Jose Japantown’s cultural ambassadors. <a href=”http://www.taiko.org/”>San Jose Taiko has captivated global audiences and critics alike with the powerful, spellbinding and propulsive sounds of taiko, the Japanese drum. Inspired by traditional Japanese drumming, company performers express the beauty and harmony of the human spirit through the voice of the taiko as they strive to connect people through cultural understanding, creative expression, and rhythmic heartbeat.