On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the military to forcibly remove 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry (about ⅔ of whom were American citizens) from their homes and incarcerate them in 10 American concentration camps. This order stripped Japanese American citizens of their rights and civil liberties and has been called one of the darkest chapters of U.S. history. Despite fears motivated by racial prejudice that there would be war collaborators and spies among Japanese American citizens, none of those incarcerated were ever charged or convicted of espionage against the U.S.

TACL stands in solidarity with the Japanese American community in commemorating this day that reminds us of the importance of protecting and upholding the civil rights of those who have been marginalized by society.

If you would like to learn more about the significance of this day, please visit the Japanese American Citizens League’s website at https://jacl.org/events/day-of-remembrance/

Check out JACL’s directory of National Events commemorating Day of Remembrance in 2018 for more information: https://jacl.org/2018-day-of-remembrance-national-events-directory/

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