Presidential Document2022-04103
Day of Remembrance of Japanese American Incarceration During World War II
Primary source
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Published
February 24, 2022
Signed
February 18, 2022
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 37 (Thursday, February 24, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 37 (Thursday, February 24, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 10677-10679]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04103]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 37 / Thursday, February 24, 2022 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 10677]]
Proclamation 10341 of February 18, 2022
Day of Remembrance of Japanese American
Incarceration During World War II
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Eighty years ago, on February 19, 1942, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066,
stripping people of Japanese descent of their civil
rights. That order and the subsequent actions carried
out by the Federal Government represent one of the most
shameful chapters in our Nation's history. On this Day
of Remembrance of Japanese American Incarceration
During World War II, we acknowledge the unjust
incarceration of some 120,000 Japanese Americans,
approximately two-thirds of whom were born in the
United States.
Despite never being charged with a crime, and without
due process, Japanese Americans were forcibly removed
from their homes and communities and incarcerated,
simply because of their heritage. For years, many
Japanese Americans lived in harsh, overcrowded
conditions, surrounded by barbed wire fences and armed
guards. Not only did they lose their homes, businesses,
property, and savings--they also lost their liberty,
security, and the fundamental freedoms that belong to
all Americans in equal measure.
I have always believed that great nations do not ignore
their most painful moments--they confront them with
honesty and, in doing so, learn from them and grow
stronger as a result. The incarceration of Japanese
Americans 80 years ago is a reminder to us today of the
tragic consequences we invite when we allow racism,
fear, and xenophobia to fester.
Today, we reaffirm the Federal Government's formal
apology to Japanese Americans whose lives were
irreparably harmed during this dark period of our
history, and we solemnly reflect on our collective
moral responsibility to ensure that our Nation never
again engages in such un-American acts. We acknowledge
the intergenerational trauma and loss that the
incarceration of Japanese Americans has caused. We also
uplift the courage and resilience of brave Japanese
Americans who, despite being unjustly incarcerated,
formed powerful communities and marshalled incredible
dignity and strength.
Many of those whose families were incarcerated
volunteered or were drafted to serve in combat--
courageously serving in the 100th Infantry Battalion,
Military Intelligence Service, Women's Army Auxiliary
Corps, Army Nurse Corps, and the 442nd Regimental
Combat Team with unwavering patriotism. The all-
Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion and the
442nd Regimental Combat Team became two of the most
decorated and distinguished military units in our
Nation's history. Countless Japanese Americans carry
forward this legacy of extraordinary service today, and
their work to preserve the history of this period
strengthens our Nation and our democracy.
We reflect on the bravery of civil rights leaders like
Fred Korematsu, Minoru Yasui, Gordon Hirabayashi, and
Mitsuye Endo, and that of every Japanese American who
organized and sought redress. Their efforts helped
bring about the first Day of Remembrance, led President
Jimmy Carter to sign the law creating the Commission on
Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, and
spurred President Ronald Reagan to sign the Civil
Liberties Act of 1988, which provided monetary
reparations to living survivors and
[[Page 10678]]
an official apology to the Japanese American community.
At the same time, we also acknowledge the painful
reality that Japanese Latin Americans, who were taken
from their Central and South American homes and
incarcerated by the United States Government during
World War II, were excluded from the Civil Liberties
Act of 1988.
Today, the National Park Service helps preserve several
Japanese American incarceration camps. These tangible
reminders of our history provide important spaces for
reflection and learning about the injustices born of
prejudice. Preserving incarceration sites as national
parks and historic landmarks is proof of our Nation's
commitment to facing the wrongs of our past, to healing
the pain still felt by survivors and their descendants,
and to ensuring that we always remember why it matters
that we never stop fighting for equality and justice
for all. My Administration is committed to maintaining
these national parks and landmarks for future
generations and to combating xenophobia, hate, and
intolerance--including through the reestablished White
House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians,
and Pacific Islanders. In the words of Dr. Frank
Kitamoto, who was incarcerated as a child, ``This is
not just a Japanese American story but an American
story with implications for the world.''
The words we use to describe the historical and present
treatment of communities of color and other underserved
communities have profound meaning. Today, we recognize
that euphemistic terms that we have collectively used
in the past--such as ``assembly centers,''
``relocation,'' or ``internment''--do not adequately
describe the injustice experienced by some 120,000
people; we recognize the forced removal and mass
incarceration of Japanese Americans and others during
World War II; and we reaffirm our commitment to Nidoto
Nai Yoni, which translates to ``Let It Not Happen
Again.''
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 19,
2022, as a Day of Remembrance of Japanese American
Incarceration During World War II. I call upon the
people of the United States to commemorate this
injustice against civil liberties and civil rights
during World War II; to honor the sacrifice of those
who defended the democratic ideals of this Nation; and
to commit together to eradicate systemic racism to heal
generational trauma in our communities.
[[Page 10679]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2022-04103
Filed 2-23-22; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 24, 2022.
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