Day of Remembrance: 80th Anniversary of Japanese Internment Camps

Submitted by the Event Organizer

February 19, 2022 marks the 80th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 (the “Day of Remembrance”) which resulted in the forced removal of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast as an “emergency measure” after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which initiated America’s entry into World War II.

On February 19, at 1 p.m., the San Mateo County History Museum (2200 Broadway in Redwood City) will present Steve Okamoto whose family was part of 120,000 shipped to “internment camps,” and is current Vice Chair of the Tanforan Assembly Center Memorial Committee. Mr. Okamoto will speak about how people were first sent to “assembly centers,” such as the old Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno, as the camps in the interior of the country were being built. He will also tell about the progress being made to create a memorial at the Tanforan site. On display in the Museum will be a complimentary exhibit, “Japanese American Internment at Tanforan: Photographs by Dorothea Lange.” This program is free with the price of admission to the Museum ($6 for adults, $4 for seniors and students). The program is part of the Museum’s “Courthouse Docket Series” which is sponsored by the Cypress Lawn Heritage Foundation.

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