MATSUI STATEMENT ON JAPANESE AMERICAN DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07), released the following statement on Japanese American Day of Remembrance, the 83nd anniversary of the date in 1942 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 – leading to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
“Today marks 83 years since Executive Order 9066 displaced and incarcerated over 120,000 Japanese Americans, including my family,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Everyday Americans were stripped of their freedom. Many lost everything – their homes, their businesses, and their livelihoods. Day of Remembrance stands as a stark reminder that we cannot afford to be complacent. Our freedoms are not simply self-sustaining. Our democracy is only as strong as our willingness to defend it and stand up to injustice.”
“We cannot and should not hide from our history,” Matsui continued. “That is the only way we can ensure that it does not repeat itself. Our history is lived experiences. It is the stories of real people, of families, of communities, and of the choices our country has made, both right and wrong. Right now, we are seeing a familiar playbook. The Trump Administration is trying to create a culture of fear and hysteria. Convince us we are hopelessly divided. Disregard due process to detain, expel, and keep vulnerable people down. That is why the Japanese American story must be told and retold. Our community has seen this before. We know all too well the consequences of institutionalized prejudice and discrimination – and Day of Remembrance reminds us that we must remain vigilant to prevent them.”
To ensure the continued teaching of Japanese American history, Congresswoman Matsui authored the Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act, which was signed by President Biden in January 2023. The bill reauthorized the Japanese American Confinement Site program within the National Park Service. This program has been one of the primary resources in the preservation and interpretation of the U.S. Confinement Sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. Additionally, the legislation established a separate, new five year, $2 million per year competitive grant to create educational materials about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
# # #