Day of Remembrance Dinner (Clovis, California) February 15, 2009

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, setting into motion the exclusion, removal, detention and incarceration of over 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

After decades of activism by Japanese Americans and a broad, multicultural coalition, President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Based on a federal commission's findings that the wholesale violation of constitutional rights was due to "race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership," the landmark redress bill provided a official apology, individual payments and a public education fund.

In spite of these historic lessons, today we witness members of the Arab/Muslim American community experiencing similar civil and human rights violations: exclusion, detention, incarceration and extradition in the post 9/11 and Iraq War era.

DOR is a time to cherish and critique our history; to share yet untold stories; to reaffirm our commitment to unfinished redress issues and current civil liberties challenges. DOR is a time to nurture future generations of activism to ensure a more compassionate democracy.

Program includes Distinguished American Awards to Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (Spirit of Public Service); Dr. Peter G. Mehas (Spirit of Education); Coram Nobis Legal Team of Prof. Peter Irons, Dale Minami, Don Tamaki, Dennis Hayashi and Prof. Lorraine Bannai (Spirit of Justice); and Ambassador Phillip V. Sanchez (Spirit of Pinedale).

Sponsors: Central California District Council, Pacific Southwest, and Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific Districts of the Japanese American Citizens League.

Contact: Dale Ikeda ikedada@comcast.net 559-313-9322