SACRAMENTO, Calif. — West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero proclaimed Saturday, Feb. 19, as a "Day of Remembrance" to recognize the 80th anniversary of the start of the Japanese American internment camps.
On Feb. 19, 1942, then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which forcibly removed people of Japanese descent to wartime prison camps during World War II.
Forty years later, the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians found that the reasons behind the executive order were racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and failure of political leadership.
"This day of remembrance aims to recognize the suffering of those who had their rights stripped away, and serves as a lesson for current and future generations to be vigilant against the scapegoating of our brothers and sisters," Guerrero said.
According to a release from the mayor's office, this led to the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which offered a governmental apology, $20,000 in token redress payments, and an educational fund.
“On behalf of my family, and the Japanese American community in general, we are deeply appreciative of Mayor Martha Guerrero and the City of West Sacramento for recognizing this important Day of Remembrance, which honors the legacy of our ancestors, and helps to ensure that we safeguard against any and all future deprivations of civil liberties,” said Kenji G. Taguma, longtime former West Sacramento resident and son of late Broderick native Noboru Taguma in a prepared statement.
