Displaying until February 21, 2018
See also: http://studentaffairs.uci.edu/newnarratives/events/day_of_remembrance.php

When your government unjustly incarcerates based solely on race and ethnicity, how does this legacy impact the indentities/perspectives/lives of Japanese Americans?

76 years ago after the World War II bombings of Pearl Harbor, approximately 120,000 Japanese and Japanese American citizens were evicted, corralled and held captive after President Roosevelt implemented Executive Order 9066 under the pretense of ‘protection against espionage and against sabotage.’ Thousands of families and individuals were ripped away from their homes, properties, businesses and livelihoods, and deprived of their human and civil rights. Survivors did not hear an apology and redress from the U.S. government until President Reagan signed into law the Civil Liberties Act in 1988.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the apology and redress, we will be joined by Sam Mihara – scientist, educator and internment camp survivor – and Brian Niiya – author and content director for Densho, an organization set on preserving the voices and memories of the men, women and children held captive – for an open dialogue on the stigma, displacement and psychological toll exacted on the Nikkei (Japanese American) community.

Reflection on this tragedy will allow us to fully grasp how far we have come and how much we have been given by the previous generations. Our history is the blueprint to our future. Participants can come away with expanded knowledge of humility, tolerance and perseverance of human strength and, through introspection of their actions and inactions, begin to extend a hand to those without voices and rights and to help those facing undue persecution and injustice today.

Back to announcement history