CAPAC Chair Rep. Chu Observes Day of Remembrance for Japanese Internment
Washington, D.C. – Seventy-three years ago today, on February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of over 120,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry. Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the following statements in observance of the Day of Remembrance:
Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:
“Seventy-three years ago today, Executive Order 9066 authorized the internment of Japanese Americans, one of the darkest moments in our history. As we recognize this Day of Remembrance, we not only commemorate the over 120,000 innocent Japanese Americans robbed of their liberties and inhumanely forced into internment camps during World War II, but we also recommit ourselves to ensure that this type of injustice is not repeated. We must continue to fight the discrimination and xenophobia that still exists today, and we must safeguard the civil liberties of all—regardless of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender.”