Japanese Americans who were incarcerated in World War II-era camps are invited to participate in a flag-signing event to be held at two locations on Monday, July 5.
Led by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Johny Cepeda Gogo, the Japanese American Incarceration Memorial Legacy Project has obtained a vintage 48-star American flag with the goal of having as many incarcerees as possible add their names in remembrance. Gogo was inspired by fellow Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Roberta Hayashi, civil rights attorney Dale Minami, and civil rights activist Karen Korematsu, daughter of Fred Korematsu.
The flag will be donated to the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (www.jamsj.org) on the next Fred Korematsu Day, Jan. 22, 2022.
The flag will be available for signing at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (www.jci-gardena.org), 1964 W. 162nd St. in Gardena, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Special acknowledgement to Alison Kochiyama and Dayton Lee of GVJCI. For more information, email George Wada at georgeawada@yahoo.com or Colleen Miyano at cmiyano2017@gmail.com.
Later in the day, the event moves to Kazuo Masuda Memorial VFW Post 3670, 12942 Dale St. in Garden Grove, from 5 to 7 p.m. Call (714) 670-8544 or email jnakamura07@gmail.com or robertm@rwadainc.com for more details.
Attendees at both events are asked to wear face masks and observe social distancing.
For more information about the flag-signing project, email Judge Gogo at JGogo@scscourt.org or visit: http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2021/5/27/flag-signing-project/
Photos courtesy Bacon Sakatani