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38th Annual San Jose Day
of Remembrance |
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"In the End, we will remember not the words of
our enemies, but the silence of our friends" |
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Download
San Jose Day of Remembrance Flyer |
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The 38th
Annual San Jose Day of Remembrance
event commemorates both the 30th
anniversary of the landmark
Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and the 76th
anniversary of the signing of
Executive Order 9066. The order led
to the forced removal and
incarceration of 120,000 people of
Japanese descent during World War
II. Hundreds of people will
gather together at this annual event
not only to remember that great
civil liberties tragedy, but also to
reflect on the rising tensions that
are building within our communities
today.
The 2018
event carries the theme, "Speak
Out For Justice." During these
tumultuous times, ordinary people,
many of whom were silent in the
past, are now making their voices heard.
We have been seeing a great social
movement on many fronts and we are
hearing the large number of voices
speaking out against the unequal treatment
and harrassment of women and they
are saying
'No' to racism, homophobia, and
Islamaphobia. From #MeToo to the travel ban protests
at airports, people are mobilizing
and rising up from within their own
communities to effect change. |
This year's Day of Remembrance event
features Richard Konda, the executive director of
the Asian Law Alliance and a founding member of NOC;
Lawson Sakai, a highly decorated WW II veteran
of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team;
Bekki Shibayama, a representative of
Campaign For Justice, an organization
that seeks redress for
incarcerated Japanese Latin Americans; a special
joint performance by
San Jose Taiko and the
Aswat
Ensemble; the traditional candlelight procession
through historic Japantown; and other speakers from
the community. |
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Cultural
Performance: A special artistic
collaboration between San Jose Taiko and ASWAT Ensemble |
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The 2018 San Jose Day of Remembrance will
feature a special oint performance by
ASWAT, the Bay Area's Premier Arab Music
Ensemble, and San Jose Japantown's
world-famous,
San Jose
Taiko.
In 2003, two Arab-American
women, Nabila Mango and Haya Shawwa Ben
Halim, recognized that the challenges faced
by the Arab-American community in the Bay
Area required a creative response. They
formed Zawaya: a non-profit organization
that aims to address stereotypes and
misconceptions; offering a positive image of
Arab Americans and their rich civilization.
Zawaya means “aspects” or “corners”,
suggesting the many art forms to be
discovered and enjoyed in Arab culture.
True to Zawaya’s commitment to pluralism
and inclusion, Aswat is a multi-ethnic and
multi-racial music ensemble that reaches out
to the diverse Bay Area community with
folkloric, classical, and contemporary
Arabic music. Aswat’s doors remain open to
all who want to participate in the exciting,
enriching exchange between Arab Americans
and other communities through the universal
language of music. |
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San
Jose Taiko, San Jose Japantown's
great cultural ambassadors, have captivated global
audiences and critics alike with the
powerful, spellbinding and
propulsive sounds of taiko, the
Japanese drum. Inspired by
traditional Japanese drumming,
company performers express the
beauty and harmony of the human
spirit through the voice of the
taiko as they strive to connect
people through cultural
understanding, creative expression,
and rhythmic heartbeat. |
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The Day of Remembrance is an event
that aims to bring different
communities together in order to
build trust, respect, and
understanding among all people and
to renew our pledge to fight for
equality, justice, and peace
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Traditional candlelight procession through
San Jose's historic Japantown. Photo
courtesy of Andy Frazer. |
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A candle is lit in
memory for
each of the camps.
Photo courtesy of Andy Frazer. |
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Thoughts on the "Day of
Remembrance: Speak Out For
Justice" by Richard Konda |
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Richard Konda, the
executive director of the
Asian Law Alliance and a
founding member of NOC,
wrote the following article
that addresses the theme of
this year's Day of
Remembrance program, "Speak
Out For Justice." |
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As of the writing
of this article we
need to continue to
remember how and why
the U.S. government
incarcerated
Japanese Americans
during World War 2.
We remember the
brutal treatment of
our community –
detained in
converted horse
stalls – living in
desolate and remote
concentration camps.
We also need to
remember:
- The 800,000
Deferred Action
for Childhood
Arrival (DACA)
students who
currently live
in fear of
deportation
because of the
Trump
Administration’s
termination of
the program.
DACA recipients
have also been
called
“Dreamers”
because of
legislation in
Congress known
as the “Dream
Act.”
- Immigrants
and refugees in
our community
living in fear
of deportation
because of the
increased
enforcement by
the Trump
Administration.
- The refugees
and immigrants
excluded from
the US because
of the Trump
administration’s
Muslim Travel
Ban.
We then must
take action!
For the
“dreamers” we must
fight for
legislation that
will provide a path
to citizenship BUT
this legislation
must not include a
war along the US
–Mexico border. This
legislation also
cannot include more
funding for the
removal and
terrorization of our
immigrant
communities.
http://weareheretostay.org/
For
those immigrant and
refugees who are
fearful of
deportation we must
join the efforts of
groups like
People
Acting in Community
Together and
volunteer for their
Rapid Response
Network where
trained volunteers
provide moral and
accompaniment
support to families
during and after
immigration
operations.
https://www.pactsj.org/santa-clara-county-rapid-response-network
For the
refugees and
immigrant excluded
because of the
Muslim Travel Ban we
must support the
efforts of the
Council on American
Islamic Relations
and other groups who
are fighting this
ban in the courts.
https://www.cair.com/
Attend the
Day of Remembrance
program on February
18, 2018 and add
your voice as we
speak out for
justice for our
communities.
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Fred T. Korematsu Day of
Civil Liberties and the
Constitution |
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San Jose Nihonmachi
Outreach Committee (NOC) P.O. Box 2293, San Jose, CA 95109
E-Mail:
info@sjnoc.org
Website:
www.sjnoc.org
"In the End, we will remember not the words of our
enemies, but the silence of our friends."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. |