4 ways to be in solidarity during the Day of Remembrance and beyond:

• Host a gathering with community members and share the video on this page. Discuss your reactions, what you learned, and how historical events can be catalysts for community action.

• Deepen your learning about the Day of Remembrance by visiting and supporting Tsuru for Solidarity and Densho.

• Protect immigrant communities in your local area and call upon civic, faith, and elected leaders to support the rights of all immigrants.

• Learn more about constructing solidarity narratives: Solidarity Resources for Organizations

Day of Remembrance Solidarity Statement

The National Day of Remembrance on February 19th marks the years since the issuance of Executive Order 9066 which led to the forced removal and incarceration of more than 125,000 Japanese Americans during World War II by the United States government. On the 83rd anniversary of Executive Order 9066 and in the midst of relentless anti-immigrant attacks that rely upon similar pernicious narratives and policies, our organizations recommit ourselves to community care and solidarity.

A long history of scapegoating and dehumanizing Asian immigrants laid the groundwork for Executive Order 9066. Prior to World War II, the United States government had already implemented migration bans, alien land laws, and citizenship restrictions that targeted and excluded Asian immigrants, while relying on them for cheap labor. This paved the way for the government to weaponize the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and issue Executive Order 9066 in order to forcibly remove, separate, and indefinitely detain Japanese Americans in incarceration camps without any due process. 

For decades, Japanese Americans have raised their voices to say “never again” when our country has been on the precipice of repeating mistakes from the past - from post-9/11 policies that surveilled and profiled Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians to the Muslim ban under the first Trump Administration that barred entry into the US from many Muslim-majority and African countries to the separation and detention of immigrant children and families.

We are facing another such precipice today. The Trump Administration is swiftly implementing harmful and divisive immigration and national security measures, from mass detentions and deportations to the end of birthright citizenship to the closure of asylum and refugee pathways.

The Trump Administration is relying on many of the same dangerous policies and narratives from previous shameful periods in our country’s history: characterizing immigrants as invaders and job stealers to divide people against each other; conducting neighborhood and workplace raids; requesting bids from private prisons to open more family detention facilities; and invoking the Alien Enemies Act to justify the deportations of immigrants without due process. 

The throughline between the incarceration of Japanese Americans, the Muslim ban, and mass deportations is clear: these are all attempts to demarcate who belongs in America and who doesn’t, on the basis of race, faith, nationality, class, and immigration status.

Our communities and organizations have seen this playbook before many times - and each time, we have also come together to resist it through organizing and advocacy, litigation and protest, mutual aid and solidarity.

On this National Day of Remembrance, we draw upon the resilience of Japanese Americans to strengthen our own resolve. We call on community members of all ages and backgrounds, faith and civic leaders, and institutional stakeholders and elected officials to join us. We can each do our part to share information about the parallels between the past and today; take action to protect the rights of immigrants; join and support local immigrant-serving organizations; and deepen our relationships with one another.     

Our organizations are prepared to stand with each other, support targeted communities, and hold policy makers accountable. Together, we will strengthen our resilience, build our collective power, and practice solidarity to meet this moment.

Signatories

18 Million Rising

AAPI New Jersey

AAPIs for Justice in San Antonio, TX

African Human Rights Coalition

AFT | Education, Healthcare, Public Services

Al Otro Lado

America's Voice

American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)

Amica Center for Immigrant RIghts

Angry Tias and Abuelas

APIA Vote-Michigan

Arab American Civic Council

Asian American Liberation Network

Asian American Organizing Project

Asian American Resource Workshop 

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta 

Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL)

Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI)

Asian Americans United

Asian Community Development Corporation

Asian Law Alliance 

Asian Law Caucus

Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network, Massachusetts

Asian Texans for Justice

Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project

Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP)

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action

Border Organizing Project

Building Movement Project 

CAIR-Minnesota

CAIR-Washington

Cambodian Women's Association 

Center for Gender & Refugee Studies

Chhaya Community Development Corporation

Chinese for Affirmative Action

Church World Service

Cobalt

Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition 

Demo Lab South

Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project

Hindus for Human Rights

Hmong Innovating Politics

Hope Border Institute

Hope Knows No Borders Network

Human Rights First

Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef)

Immigrant Justice Network

Immigration Equality

Immigration Hub

Indivisible Chicago Alliance

Indo-American Center

International Refugee Assistance Project

Japanese American Citizens League

Jewish Activists for Immigration Justice of Western MA

Jewish Voice for Peace

Just Neighbors

Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice

Karen Organization of San Diego

MADRE

Manavi

Movement for Black Lives

Muslim Advocates

Muslim Justice League

Muslims for Just Futures

National Immigrant Justice Center

National Immigration Project

National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)

Native Organizers Alliance

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

New Breath Foundation

New Disabled South

New Mexico Asian Family Center

Nikkei Uprising Chicago

Oasis Legal Services

OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates

OPAWL - Building AAPI Feminist Leadership

PANA San Diego

People Power United

Poder NC Action

Prevention at the Intersections 

Public Counsel

Race Forward

Rainbow Railroad

Refugee Council USA

Rising Voices

San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP

Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)

Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign

Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)

SMC Anthro Club

South Asian Legal Defense Fund

SOUTH ASIAN NETWORK

Southeast Asian Freedom Network

Southeast Dignity not Detention Coalition

Stop AAPI Hate

The Advocates for Human Rights  

The Central American Resource Center of Northern California - CARECEN SF

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA)

The May 13 Group

The Sikh Coalition

Tsuru for Solidarity

United We Dream

USCPR Action 

Veterans for American Ideals  

VietLead

We Are All America

Western States Center

Witness at the Border

Women Cross DMZ

Note: For organizations wishing to sign on to this solidarity statement, please complete this form.