Eighty-three years ago today, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 individuals of Japanese descent, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, denying them their constitutional rights.
The signing of this executive order marked a dark chapter in American history, one that challenges us to reaffirm our commitment to protecting civil liberties, equity, and justice, especially in times of crises.
Bainbridge Island became one of the first communities in the U.S. to experience forced removal under Executive Order 9066. The late Fumiko Hayashida, born on Bainbridge Island in 1911, became one of the first Japanese Americans to be incarcerated. An iconic photo of Fumiko, who was 31 years old, is holding her sleeping 13-month-old daughter, Natalie, while waiting to board a ferry from Bainbridge Island. On March 30, 1942, Fumiko was among the 227 Japanese Americans forcibly removed from their homes. They were sent to the Manzanar Relocation Center in California before being transported to Minidoka Internment Camp in Idaho. The incarceration of Japanese Americans would last roughly three years, with most camps closing by late 1945 and the last camp, Tule Lake, closing in March 1946.
RIGHT: Fumiko Hayashida holding her daughter Natalie. Courtesy of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection (number PI-28050), Museum of History and Industry
Last week, the Port of Seattle Commission unanimously proclaimed today, February 19th, as a Day of Remembrance, a time of solemn reflection on these injustices and an opportunity to educate our community and ensure that such violations of rights are never repeated. I was honored to have representatives from Densho, the Nisei Veterans Committee, and the Japanese American Citizens League — Seattle Chapter join me in reading the Proclamation into the record.
- Watch the full reading of the proclamation adopted by the Port of Seattle Commission
I, like so many Japanese Americans throughout Washington, have a personal and painful connection to this history.
My colleagues and I also took this opportunity to denounce all acts of vandalism, harassment, intimidation, discrimination, or any other forms of bigotry against any and all individuals, and affirm the right of every individual to equal protection under the law. Furthermore, we reaffirmed the importance and our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values of our mission. We also demonstrated unwavering and steadfast support of our Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, ensuring it remains supported and actively advancing its initiatives.
Former Densho Executive Director Tom Ikeda once said, “History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”
We know all too well the consequences of a government that judges people based on who they are instead of what they’ve done. We understand that bigotry, xenophobia, and intolerance are the seeds of harmful political action. And, we recognize that vandalism, discrimination, and acts of hate in our communities are often the precursors to state-sanctioned violations of civil and human rights.
This Day of Remembrance is not just about reflecting on the past — it is a call to action. It compels us to learn the lessons of history so that they will not be repeated, not today, and not in the future.
All my best,
Toshiko Hasegawa
Port of Seattle Commissioner, Position 4
Subscribe to receive email updates from Commissioner Hasegawa
