Remembering Executive Order 9066, the ‘Single Act’ that Began Internment

Αrt2314 Tρίτη 31 Ιανουαρίου 2017
Remembering Executive Order 9066, the ‘Single Act’ that Began Internment
by STEPHANY BAI

The last of the residents of the Amache concentration camp board the train at Granada, Colorado for the return journey to the west coast or to new homes elsewhere in the country. Hikaru Iwasaki / Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration via Densho.orgSeventy-five years after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order clearing the way for the forced relocation of Japanese Americans in the tens of thousands, preparations are underway around the country to recognize the significance of the order's anniversary — not just for its historical importance, but also because the lessons are applicable to current events, according to Clement Hanami, the vice president of operations and art director at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Los Angeles, California.

"The signing of the Executive Order 9066 [on Feb. 19, 1942] is significant in that this single act set into motion the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans from the West Coast, which caused personal hardships and significant economic losses," Hanami told NBC News. "There are incredible lessons that can be learned from this shameful chapter of American history, especially in light of the current divisions we see growing in American society today."
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A Look Back at the Executive Order that Cleared the Way for Internment 1:09

Beginning Feb. 18, JANM will open its newest special exhibit to mark the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066. The exhibit, curated by Hanami, titled "Instructions to All Persons: Reflections on Executive Order 9066" will include historic examples of the original posters that were publicly posted along the West Coast to announcing the impending removal of people with Japanese ancestry.
Mrs. Nakamura and her two daughters, Joyce Yuki and Louise Tami, in 1943 at the Manzanar Japanese-American internment camp in California. Ansel Adams / Library of Congress

The title of the exhibit echoes the first words of these posters, which began with: "Instructions to All Persons of Japanese Ancestry."

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"The goal of Instructions to All Persons is to create a compelling space for visitors to think critically and articulate complex ideas that surround the wartime experiences of Japanese Americans," Hanami said. "In doing so, they can illustrate the ongoing relevance America's concentration camps have on issues of social justice and American democracy."
Pictures of people who were incarcerated at Manzanar War Relocation Center are displayed alongside family tags at Manzanar National Historic Site on December 9, 2015 near Independence, California. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

In addition to the posters, the exhibit will feature documentary videos, artwork, and supplemental artifacts. It will also display two of the three pages of the original Executive Order 9066, including the page with Roosevelt's signature. This document, as well as Presidential Proclamation No. 2537, which preceded Executive Order 9066 and required residents from Italy, Germany, and Japan to register with the Department of Justice, will be on display on loan from the National Archives

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