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The annual Los Angeles Day of Remembrance commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Executive Order 9066 authorized the US military to remove persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast and set into motion their incarceration into concentration camps during World War II. This year’s theme, “Uniting Our Voices: Making Democracy Work for All,” illustrates how individuals and communities are powerful when they come together in support of one another and how democracy is only as strong as those who fight for it.

This year's program will be dedicated to Jim Matsuoka, a revered Nisei former incarceree who fought for Japanese American redress and reparations as well as other forms of social justice. The program will feature Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director at AAPI Equity Alliance and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, in conversation with traci ishigo, director of Programs and Healing Justice at Vigilant Love. They will explore the need for solidarity in the present day and discuss building unity to combat violence in its various forms. The afternoon will also include intergenerational artistic and musical performances, remembrances, and calls to action.

The 2023 Los Angeles Day of Remembrance is organized by: Go For Broke National Education Center, Japanese American Citizens League - Pacific Southwest District, Japanese American National Museum, Little Tokyo Service Center, Manzanar Committee, Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress, Nikkei Progressives, OCA - Greater Los Angeles, Progressive Asian Network for Action.

This event will also be available to view on JANM’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/JANMdotorg) at 2 p.m. (PST) on Saturday, February 18.

Event illustration by Rob Sato