SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) on Feb. 20 presented House Resolution 12, recognizing Feb. 19, 2025, as a Day of Remembrance at the State Capitol.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942, led to the uprooting and incarceration of all Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. The majority were sent to War Relocation Authority camps in desolate areas of California, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Arkansas. Day of Remembrance is observed on or around Feb. 19 in Japanese American communities across the country.
“It was a privilege to be joined by 25 camp survivors and numerous community members who shared their powerful stories of incarceration and early immigrant experiences,” Muratsuchi said. “Their voices serve as a vital reminder of a dark chapter in our nation’s history that must never be forgotten. 83 years ago, the mass incarceration of over 125,000 Japanese Americans began with an executive order —one that the Supreme Court failed to declare unconstitutional. Now, more than ever, we must remember this injustice to ensure that history does not repeat itself.”
The survivors — the oldest of whom was 99 — included members of Buddhist Church of Sacramento.
All 71 assemblymembers present voted in favor of the resolution.
Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton) said, “The Stockton Assembly Center Medical Building, located at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, was a staging ground where over 4,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly detained before being sent to concentration camps like Rohwer and Gila River. The medical building from that era still stands today, a sobering reminder of what happens when we allow bigotry and xenophobia to go unchecked.
“Preserving sites like this is critical… not just to remember the past, but to ensure we never repeat these injustices. We must never forget — so we never repeat. Bigotry and xenophobia have no place in our future.”
The former incarcerees and the camps where they were held:
Stan Umeda (Gila River, Ariz.)
Christine Umeda (Topaz, Utah)
Hachiro Yasumura (Jerome/Rohwer, Ark.)
Linda Yasumura (Tule Lake, Calif.)
Hannah Hamataka (Amache, Colo.)
Lois Nishimura (Tule Lake)
Terri Endo (Topaz)
Alyce Tabuchi (Tule Lake)
Kiyoshi Kato (Topaz)
Sayoko Fukuman (Tule Lake)
Takeo Kato (Topaz)
Jeannie Matsumoto (Gila River)
Marielle Tsukamoto (Jerome)
Tatsuye Masuhara (Rohwer)
Luther Nishimura (Amache)
Rose Hironaka (Tule Lake)
Lester Ouchida (Amache)
Nancy Hashimoto (Tule Lake)
Joan Nishikawa (Rohwer)
Helen Fukiko Sakaishi (Tule Lake)
Hideko Heidi Sakazaki (Tule Lake)
Kiyoshi Kato (Topaz)
Mits Yamamoto (Jerome/Gila River)
Grace Hatano (Tule Lake)
Roy Asoo (Tule Lake)