Statement from President Joe Biden on the Day of Remembrance of Japanese American Incarceration
On this day in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which led to the forcible incarceration of over 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent – half of whom were children. It was shameful. Families were separated. Communities were torn apart. People were stripped of their dignity. And the unconstitutional and unconscionable policy was even upheld by the Supreme Court.
In the face of injustice, 33,000 Japanese Americans stepped up and courageously served in the U.S. military during World War II. They demonstrated loyalty and patriotism. We honor those service men and women, as well as the legacy of civil rights leaders like Fred Korematsu, Minoru Yasui, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Mitsuye Endo, along with every Japanese American who organized and worked to right a wrong. Their sacrifice, their resilience and their belief that civil liberties and freedom must be vigorously defended inspire us today.
I decided to run for President to restore the Soul of America. To confront racism, xenophobia, and hate in all its forms. To strengthen and preserve our democracy. We remember the tragic legacy of Executive Order 9066 – and the trauma it inflicted – by reaffirming the Federal Government’s formal apology to Japanese Americans. And by stating unequivocally: Nidoto Nai Yoni – to “Let It Not Happen Again.”
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