PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS MATSUI’S NORMAN Y. MINETA JAPANESE AMERICAN CONFINEMENT EDUCATION ACT INTO LAW
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) issued the following statement after President Biden recently signed her bill, the Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act, into law. The legislation reauthorizes the Japanese American Confinement Site (JACS) program to educate Americans on the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
“The history of the Japanese American community is a story that cannot afford to be lost in time,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “It has been over 80 years since the authorization of Executive Order 9066. Yet too many Americans do not know the painful history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II. That is why it is crucial that we continue to lift up the voices of our past and teach our younger generations about the injustice of that time and the perseverance that has been woven into the Japanese American identity. This legislation will ensure that we continue to preserve our community’s story and educate Americans on this important history well into the future.”
The Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act reauthorizes 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 establishes a separate, new 5 year, $2 million per year competitive grant to create educational materials about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
The Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act is supported by:
Japanese American Citizens League
Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans
Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation
Japanese American National Museum
JACS Consortium
# # #