The three Utah Chapters of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) are Salt Lake Chapter, Mount Olympus Chapter, and Wasatch Front North Chapter. They will jointly sponsor an event called a Day of Remembrance (DOR). This is to remember and teach others about the World War II experience of Japanese Americans with the hope that no one else will ever have to suffer such an injustice.
This annual DOR event for Utah will be held on Saturday, February 17, 2024, at 1:30 PM at the Utah State Bar Law and Justice Center, 645 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, Utah. Admission is free.
At the start of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. This allowed military commanders in certain regions to remove any persons from the area. The order was only enacted on the West Coast of the continental United States. American citizens and immigrants who were of Japanese heritage were forced to leave their homes and live in what are now known as “American concentration camps.” Most lost everything they had and were incarcerated for the duration of the war.