NikkeiWest--Northern California Japanese American Newspaper

The Nihonmachi Outreach Committee (NOC) will present San Jose’s 32nd annual Day of Remembrance event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent, two-thirds of whom were American citizens, during World War II.

This year’s Day of Remembrance, “Civil Liberties Under Siege” will address what Japanese Americans had to endure during World War II and what Arabs, Muslims and South Asian Americans face today.

The event aims to bring different communities together in order to build trust, respect and understanding among all people and to renew our pledge to fight for equality, justice and peace.

The event will be held on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 5:30 p.m. and end about 7:30 p.m., and will take place at the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, 640 North 5th Street in San Jose.

This year’s guest speakers will be Congressman Mike Honda, Karen Korematsu, co-founder of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education and daughter of the late civil liberties activist Fred T. Korematsu, and Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations.

The program will also feature the traditional candlelight procession through Japantown to honor the incarcerees, and will include a special performance by San Jose Taiko. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, call (408) 505-1186, or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or at NOC’s website at www.sjnoc.org to download a flyer for the event.