Thursday, February 19, 2026

FEBRUARY 19: Day of Remembrance has added significance today

NATIONAL MUSSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY


It’s February 19, and if you’re feeling a heavy sense of déjà vu, you’re not alone. This Day of Remembrance isn’t just a somber look back at the 84 years since Executive Order 9066 uprooted our community; it’s a flashing red siren about the here and now.

While we usually spend this day honoring those who survived the barbed wire, the 2026 commemorations have a sharper, more urgent edge. From the streets of Little Tokyo to the halls of D.C., the message is clear: the "never again" we’ve been reciting for decades is being put to its ultimate test under the Trump administration.

Here’s why this year’s DOR hits differently:
  • The Ghost of 1798: The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and other advocacy groups are sounding the alarm over the White House’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Yes, the exact same law used to justify the WWII incarceration is now being dusted off for mass deportations.
  • "Silence Today, Injustice Tomorrow": That’s the official theme of the Los Angeles DOR organized by the Japanese American National Museum (JANM). It’s a direct response to the "erasure and censorship" of our history and a warning that the machinery used against Japanese Americans in 1942 is being rebuilt for immigrant communities today.
  • A Slap in the Face: Many in the community haven't forgotten Trump's campaign rhetoric, where he compared the treatment of Jan. 6 defendants to the WWII incarceration—a comparison survivors called "egregiously inaccurate" and a gross insult to those who lost everything.
As survivors like those at Densho point out, the "dangerous logic" that national security justifies stripping away constitutional rights is back in vogue. Whether it’s raids on long-term residents or the targeting of specific ethnic groups, the parallels are no longer just academic—they’re our daily headlines.

On this Day of Remembrance, the community isn't just looking at the past; we’re looking at the neighbor next door, wondering if we’re the only ones who remember how this story ends.

The 2026 Day of Remembrance (DOR) weekend is packed with events across the country, many focusing on the theme of "Neighbors Not Enemies" and resisting modern-day detention and deportation.

San Francisco Bay Area

  • Solidarity Across Borders: Remembering Japanese Incarceration
    • Date & Time: Friday, February 20, 2026 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    • Location: UC Berkeley Campus, Tilden Room, MLK Student Union
    • Type: Commemoration and activist gathering.
  • Day of Remembrance Interfaith Vigil 2026: Sacred Protection
    • Date & Time: Wednesday, February 25, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
    • Location: ICE Field Office, 630 Sansome Street, San Francisco
    • Type: Interfaith vigil and protest.
  • Films of Remembrance 2026
    • Date & Time: Saturday–Sunday, February 21–22, 2026
    • Location: AMC Kabuki 8, San Francisco Japantown
    • Type: Film showcase and panel discussions.
Los Angeles
  • 2026 Los Angeles Day of Remembrance: The Power of Action
  • Short Films Honoring the Day of Remembrance
    • Date & Time: Thursday, February 19, 2026 | 7:00 PM
    • Location: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
    • Type: Film screening commemorating the 50th anniversary of the rescindment of EO 9066.
Seattle & Pacific Northwest
Chicago
  • Day of Remembrance: "Enough" Screening & Panel
  • Day of Remembrance Vigil at Broadview ICE Facility
    • Date & Time: Thursday, February 19, 2026 | 12:00 PM (Noon)
    • Location: Broadview ICE Abduction Center, 1930 Beach Street, Broadview, IL
    • Type: Direct action protest and vigil; carpools available from Chicago.
    EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge.

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