On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which gave the U.S. Army the authority to remove civilians from the military zones established in Washington, Oregon, and California during WWII. This led to the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast, who had to abandon their jobs, their homes, and their lives to be sent to one of ten concentration camps scattered in desolate, remote regions of the country. No Japanese Americans were ever charged, much less convicted, of espionage or sabotage against the United States.
Each year, the legislature recognizes this civil injustice and declares a Day of Remembrance.
This year, we remember not only our past and the injustices levied on the Japanese American people, but we look to the future and, through education, vow to not repeat the mistakes made 75 years ago.
“Every American must rise up to defend our Constitution, respect our history as a nation of immigrants, and fight to ensure that no one is targeted because of their national origin or faith.”
Legislation
ACR 1 – Day of Remembrance: Marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 and declares February 19, 2017, as a Day of Remembrance in order to increase public awareness of the events surrounding the incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
ACR 10 – Fred T. Korematsu Day: Declares January 30, 2017, as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, and encourages all public schools and educational institutions to conduct exercises remembering the life of Fred Korematsu.
AB 491- Civil Liberties Program: Designates an annual appropriation of $1,000,000 in General Funds to the State Library, which will administer allocation of the funds to public schools and programs for the implementation of civil liberties education, activities, and curriculum. The appropriation is recurring over three consecutive fiscal years and includes a reporting requirement upon conclusion.
Multimedia
Fred T. Korematsu Day Floor Presentation (01/30/17)
Day of Remembrance Floor Presentation (02/13/17)
Articles and Supporting Materials
- Statesman Journal: Western states mark 75th anniversary of internment order
- Rafu Shimpo: Los Angeles DOR to Feature Community Speakers, Cultural Performances
- Rafu Shimpo: ‘The Parallels Are Alarming’
- National Park Service: “One Camp, Ten Thousand Lives; One Camp Ten Thousand Stories”
- CALISPHERE: Japanese American Relocation Digital Archive
- US Courts Ninth Judicial Circuit: “Not to be forgotten: Legal lessons of the Japanese Internment”
- Interview with George Takei on the Japanese Internment Camps during World War II
- CA State Archives: “Home Front: California During World War II”