2020 - 40th Annual San Jose Day of Remembrance (Anniversary of the Signing of Executive Order 9066)Newly Listed

The 40th Annniversary San Jose Day of Remembrance event commemorates the anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066. The order, signed on February 19, 1942, led to the forced removal and incarceration of 120,000 people of Japanese descent during World War II. Hundreds of people will gather together at this annual event not only to remember that great civil liberties tragedy but also to reflect on the rising tensions that are building within our communities today.

The 2020 San Jose Day of Remembrance event will feature the return of Japantown's native son, the Honorable Norman Y. Mineta to the program and will be kicked off with a special music and dance collaboration from San Jose Taiko and the Wesley Jazz Ensemble.

The 2020 event carries the theme "No Camps, No Cages.". During the past few years, the story of Japanese American incarceration has intersected with several national stories including Justice Sonia Sotomayor's scathing dissent in Trump v. Hawaii to migrant detention centers. Last June, community activists, including former Japanese American incarcerees, gathered in front of the gates of Fort Sill, Oklahoma to protest the Trump administration's plan to move 1,400 migrant children to this site. During World II, Fort. Sill imprisoned approximately 700 Japanese American men.

Many prominent Americans, including former first lady, Laura Bush, and actor George Takei, drew stark parallels between Japanese American WWII incarceration and the "zero-tolerance" border policy.

Feature Speaker: Norman Y. Mineta
San Jose native son, Norman Mineta, has had a remarkable journey from his childhood growing up in San Jose Japantown; to imprisonment in the Heart Mountain Japanese American concentration camp; to representing his community in San Jose City Hall and the halls of Congress; to serving in two presidential cabinets. Throughout his career, Mineta blazed many trails as he dedicated his life to public service.

Mineta served as the 14th Secretary of Transportation during a critical period of time in our nation's history. During the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he gave the order to ground all civilian aircraft. In the aftermath of the attacks, Mineta made decisions regarding airport security and the creation of the Transportation Security Administration.

Mineta's incarceration during World War II influenced some of the administration's decisions on national security. "I wanted to make sure that as we were rebuilding our new security regimen... that there was no ethnic and religious profiling." Mineta recalled President George W. Bush telling his congressional leadership, "We don't want to have happened to people today what happened to Norm in 1942."

Date
Sunday, February 16, 2020

Time
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location
San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, 640 North Fifth Street, San Jose, CA

Free and open to the public 

Reference
Day of Remembrance flyer candlelight ceremony candlelight ceremony