President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, which enabled the U.S. War Department, under cover of “military necessity,” to remove over 120,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast and incarcerate them in concentration camps. No Japanese Americans were ever charged, much less convicted, of espionage or sabotage against the United States. Yet they were targeted, rounded up, and imprisoned for years, simply for having the “face of the enemy.” Years later, a federal commission that studied this national disgrace deemed it was based on “race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.” Today, Japanese Americans recognize February 19 as a “Day of Remembrance”. The Smithsonian National Museum of History is hosting a virtual event, “FACEism: A panel discussion of history and accountability” at 3–4:15 p.m. PST (6–7:15 p.m. EST). More info: Day of Remembrance 2021 | National Museum of American History (si.edu) and Day of Remembrance – Japanese American Citizens League (jacl.org)
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