National DOR

National Day of Remembrance tops February events

As the month for the annual Day of Remembrance, February is always the busiest time of year for speaking requests. This year being the 80th anniversary of EO 9066, A friend counted 33 DOR events nationwide. I have nine on the books myself, a personal record, including four on February 19th.

One reason may be that with Omicron, all the in-person appearances we had set for February fell apart and defaulted one-by-one to virtual events, which meant I could say yes to invitations to “be” in Minnesota, Wyoming, Washington DC, and Vashon Island all on the same day.

The National Day of Remembrance led by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History tops this year’s schedule, with representatives of the Biden administration speaking at the Friday night opening program. Our panel on Saturday will explore how the Day of Remembrance was first created in Seattle to reclaim the date and seek justice. I’ll be joined by Susan Hayase, San Jose Nikkei Resisters founder; David Inoue, Japanese American Citizens League National executive director; and Brian Niiya, Densho content director. Watch on the National Park Service YouTube channel:

Several print and audio interviews have also come up around the Day of Remembrance and We Hereby Refuse:

KCBS Radio logoKCBS Radio, San Francisco
February 14, 2022
The Bay Area recognizes the internment of Japanese Americans over the weekend,”
interview by Jennifer Hodges

KCBS Radio logoVashon-Maury Island Beachcomber
February 9, 2022
Author to share stories of resistance on Day of Remembrance,”
interview by Leslie Brown

Washington Game Changers logoWashington Game Changers podcast
January 28, 2022
Frank Abe, longtime advocate for Japanese Americans, on the Day of Remembrance and We Hereby Refuse,”
interview by Lauri Hennessey

Here’s a list of major events across the nation. My personal schedule for February includes:

SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Thursday, February 10, 2022, 6:00 pm PST
Nichi Bei Café livestream video

Nichi-Bei-CafeTune in for the debut of NIchi Bei Weekly publisher Kenji Taguma’s new innovation, the Nichi Bei Cafe, a monthly livestream program designed to keep the community engaged and connected with “a mixed plate of Japanese American news and culture.” For the premiere, I contribute a video essay on helping create and organize the first Day of Remembrance in 1978. Watch on the Nichi Bei Foundation YouTube channel.

OAKLAND, CA
Sunday, February 13, 2022, 3:00-4:30pm PST
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
“We Hereby Refuse: The Bay Area Allies”

Eastwind Books event bannerModerator Darren Murata will join me in a virtual conversation around We Hereby Refuse with Kathleen Purcell of San Francisco, the daughter of Mitsuye Endo’s attorney James Purcell; Wayne Collins Jr. of Berkeley, the son of Hiroshi Kashiwagi’s attorney Wayne Collins; and Sadako Kashiwagi of Berkeley, Hiroshi’s wife. Hosted by Eastwind Books of Berkeley and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, with a livestream to the OACC’s YouTube channel. Register via Eventbrite for free tickets. Download the PDF flyer. Join the Facebook Event. Watch it on YouTube: 

SEATTLE, WA
Thursday, February 17, 2022, 12:00-1:00 pm PT
Seattle Colleges Day of Remembrance

Seattle Colleges DOR A virtual Day of Remembrance program, in conversation with noted artist Erin Shigaki, weaving the stories of four students through the lens of We Hereby Refuse, Conscience and the Constitution, and the first Day of Remembrance and redress. Download the poster. Watch on the Seattle Central College Student Leadership YouTube channel:

ST. PAUL, MN
Saturday, February 19, 2022, 11:00 am PT/1:00 pm CT
East Side Freedom Library
Day of Remembrance: Minnesota’s Role in Incarceration and Transcendence

East Side Freedom Library logoIn connection with a screening of The Registry, Bill Kubota and Steve Ozone’s PBS film on the MIS, I’m happy to drop in to briefly online speak about the first Day of Remembrance and John Okada’s role in the MIS. Hosted by the East Side Freedom Library and the Twin Cities Japanese American Citizens League. Watch on the East Side Freedom Library YouTube channel:

CODY/POWELL, WY
Saturday, February 19, 2022, 12:00 pm PT/1:00 pm MT
Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation Educators Workshop

Educators Workshop graphicI’ll be filling in via Zoom for a recuperating Tak Hoshizaki to speak about resistance in the camps at a professional development workshop for Wyoming and Montana teachers on the Day of Remembrance.  Among the resources used by the participants is We Hereby Refuse. Sponsored by the Wyoming Humanities Council. See the Facebook Event.

WASHINGTON, DC
Saturday, February 19, 2022, 2:00 pm PT/5:00 pm ET
National Day of Remembrance
“Day of Remembrances: Standing for Redress and Reclaiming History”

DOR logo designed by Frank FujiiThe Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, and the National Park Service are hosting a two-day, virtual National Day of Remembrance focusing on 80 years of reckoning since Executive Order 9066. I will lead off a panel celebrating how the community reclaimed this date to seek justice, joined by Susan Hayase, San Jose Nikkei Resisters founder; David Inoue, Japanese American Citizens League National executive director; and Brian Niiya, Densho content director. Erin Aoyama of Brown University moderates the entire weekend of events.  Watch on the National Park Service YouTube channel:

VASHON ISLAND, WA
Saturday, February 19, 2022, 4:00 pm PT
Vashon Island Day of Remembrance

Vashon Island DORA virtual event presenting We Hereby Refuse and the story of camp resistance with Tamiko Nimura and moderated by Islander Rita Brogan, in collaboration with Mukai Farm & Garden, and with support from 4Culture, Vashon Island Heritage Museum, and Humanities Washington. Free registration to get the Zoom link here. More details at the Facebook Event. Watch the video on the Mukai Farm & Garden YouTube channel:

BELLEVUE, WA
Wednesday, February 23, 2022, 1:30 pm PT
Bellevue College Day of Remembrance

Bellevue DOR posterIn a virtual presentation for the Asian Pacific Islander Student Association, which is distributing 50 copies of We Hereby Refuse to students, I’ll connect the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans with the resurgence in anti-Asian violence today and explore how false accusations of disloyalty have historically been made solely on the basis of race. With API Students host Sunny Lee. Watch the presentation on YouTube.

POMONA, CA
Thursday, February 24, 2022, 12:00-1:00 pm PT 
Cal Poly Pomona Day of RemembranceCPP DOR flyer

A virtual presentation around the Day of Remembrance, the graphic novel, and the legacy of Michi Weglyn, at the school which is the home of the Michi and Walter Weglyn Multicultural Studies Chair and Weglyn Endowed Chair, Dr. Mary Kunmi Yu Danico. Much of the Tule Lake story in our book is drawn from and honors the work of Michi and her landmark Years of Infamy.

This list will be kept updated on the Upcoming Events page.

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