The Los Angeles Day of Remembrance (DOR) Committee announced that the annual DOR will be held on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 2:00 at the Japanese American National Museum, First Street and Central Avenue in Little Tokyo.
DOR commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It authorized the U.S. military to remove persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast and set into motion their incarceration into concentration camps during World War II.
This year’s theme, “Uniting Our Voices: Making Democracy Work for All,” illustrates how individuals and communities are powerful when they come together in support of one another and how democracy is only as strong as those who fight for it.
DOR Committee Co-chair Richard Katsuda noted the importance of putting democracy at the forefront of its work considering the events of Jan. 6, 2021:
“For the last few years, the DOR Committee has been deeply concerned about the threats to our democracy that culminated in the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and the ongoing disinformation around election denialism and attacking the rights of minority peoples. We believe that people often feel helpless in combating such threats and that it is important to rally ourselves and feel the power that comes from working together in one united voice.”
The program will feature a conversation between traci ishigo, co-founder of Vigilant Love, and Manjusha P. Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate.
Ishigo has extensive experience in community-building, in particular with Muslim Americans to combat Islamophobia.
As part of Stop AAPI Hate, Kulkarni, Russell Jeong of San Francisco State University, and Cynthia Choi of Chinese for Affirmative Action created a nationwide database to collect and document hate crimes against Asian and Pacific Islander Americans since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kulkarni will address the group’s work in coalition-building with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
DOR Committee Co-chair Matthew Weisbly expressed the wishes of the committee:
“We are honored to have Manjusha Kulkarni joining us for this year’s DOR. The work she and her colleagues have done over the last several years in helping to combat anti-Asian hate is nothing short of remarkable. It has helped our AANHPI community feel seen and heard during such a confusing and terrifying time. We look forward to a lively and riveting discussion at this year’s DOR event and hope all those in attendance will join us in standing together in community to combat hate and violence wherever it may appear.”
To RSVP for the 2023 Day of Remembrance, go to: https://www.janm.org/events/2023-02-18/2023-los-angeles-day-remembrance
The Day of Remembrance will also be livestreamed on the Japanese American National Museum’s You Tube channel: youtube.com/JANMdotorg
Info: Glen Kitayama, glenikuo@gmail.com