19 February: Japanese American Day of Remembrance

Japanese American Day of Remembrance: commemorating the World War II internment.

The BBC today broadcast an unusual interview with actor George Takei (of "Star Trek" fame), who recounted his youthful experience of the events and reflected on how they had shaped his life:

At a stroke Executive Order 9066 branded Japanese-Americans the enemy within. In California alone tens of thousands were sent to the north of the state or the interior of the country, forced to live in barracks and penned in by barbed wire fences. Resentment grew, particularly among the young, and riots sometimes ensued. George Takei recalls the time he spent interned, the effect on his family and others – some of whom were driven to suicide – and the moment when he heard the war was over. He also tells interviewee Lucy Williamson about the time spent adjusting to freedom. It took decades for a formal apology from the US government to those labelled a threat, over two-thirds of whom were American citizens. (read/listen)

Read last year's post.