GARDENA — The annual Day of Remembrance observance will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. in the Main Hall at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute, 1964 W. 162nd St. in Gardena.
This year’s DOR event will focus on WWII Japanese American incarceration in Hawaii. A screening of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii’s documentary film “The Untold Story: Internment of Japanese Americans in Hawaii” will be followed by a panel discussion with Densho Content Director Brian Niiya, UCLA Ph.D student Josephine Ong, and USC Ph.D student Sam Ikehara.
A special hula performance by Staci Toji will tie into themes from the film.
In the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Hawaii authorities arrested several hundred local Japanese on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island and Kauai. Buddhist priests, Japanese language school officials, newspaper editors, business and community leaders were arrested. In total, over 2,000 men and women of Japanese ancestry were imprisoned in 13 confinement sites throughout the islands.
Admission is free. Donations are welcome. No RSVP necessary.
For more information, call (310) 324-6611, email info@jci-gardena.org or visit www.jci-gardena.org.