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On Sunday, February 18, 2024, the
Nihonmachi Outreach Committee (NOC)
will present the
44th annual San Jose Day of
Remembrance program in the
San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin
Annex, 632 North 5th Street, San Jose,
from 5:30 pm–7:00 pm. This event
commemorates
Executive Order 9066, which led to
the World War II imprisonment of
more than 120,000 people of Japanese
descent, two-thirds of whom were
American citizens.
The theme of
the program is "Youth
Activism: Building Community."
Over the last several years, we have
seen students and young people push for
change on many issues including gun violence
legislation, climate change policy, and
racial injustice. Several months ago,
students at San Jose State University
mobilized to have
SJSU
formally acknowledge its role
in violating the civil rights of local
Japanese Americans. |
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As part of this historical
reckoning, a permanent mural
depicting that civil rights tragedy
will be constructed at Uchida Hall,
which was the location where
Japanese Americans were processed
before they were forcibly removed
from their communities.
Nina Chuang, one of
the student leaders of this
movement, will be a
speaker at the 2024 San Jose Day of
Remembrance event.
Read more about Nina Chuang.. |
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Nina Chuang |
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SJSU Associate Professor
Yvonne Kwan, a tireless
advocate for grassroots activism and
community building, will also be a
speaker at the 2024 Day of
Remembrance. During a politically
fraught time when conservatives
attack educational institutions for
speaking about diversity and
inequality, Professor Kwan focuses
on empowering underrepresented groups
like Asian Americans to tell their
own history. She is currently
documenting the oral histories of
local Asian American activists and
sharing that valuable information
with students and the next
generation of activists and
community leaders.
Read more about Professor Kwan.. |
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Yvonne Kwan. Photo by Robert C.
Bain |
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The program's theme, Youth
Activism: Building Community,
was conceived of well
before the events of October 7 and
the invasion of Gaza. The
theme takes on additional meaning as
the war in Gaza has ignited strong
emotions and protests on college
campuses. Previous political allies
have splintered and rational dialog
is elusive. Samir
Laymoun, an organizer of
Santa Clara County's annual
Palestinian Culture Day will express
his thoughts about the current
situation. |
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Also
featured are performances by
San
Jose Taiko and the traditional
candlelight procession through
Japantown. The candle lighting
ceremony and procession through
Japantown will honor those who were
incarcerated in the concentration
camps.
Seating is limited. This
event is free of charge but donations
are welcome. |
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Reflection
The traditional candlelight procession
through historic Japantown allows
participants to remember how the
incarceration of Japanese Americans
devastated the community and to reflect on
what that event means to us today. |
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2024 Day of Remembrance Film Trailer |
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Sus Ikeda
Remembrance
In this
short clip, Sus Ikeda
talks about how his family did not
return to Salinas after being released from the camps because they believed that their
hometown was a hotspot for post-war
racial tension. The Ikeda family, like many
others, made their way to San Jose Japantown
where they felt that the racial climate was more
accepting. Sus tells the story about how the
San Jose Buddhist Church helped many
families restart their lives. Sus will make
an appearance at the San Jose
Day of Remembrance event on February 18. |
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