The Seattle Public Library Hosts 'Never Again: Japanese-American WWII History and American Muslim Rights Today' Feb. 19
release date: February 15, 2017
The Seattle Public Library will host a presentation and conversation examining Japanese-American incarceration during World War II and how it relates to racism today from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Seattle Center's Fisher Pavilion, 305 Harrison St.
Library events and programs are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required. Seating will be first come, first seated. This event will be livestreamed at http://www.densho.org/never-again-livestream. Tweet about the event and submit questions for the panel using the tag #NeverAgainIsNow.
Feb. 19, 2017, marks the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese-Americans. To mark this anniversary, Densho executive director Tom Ikeda and Arsalan Bukhari, executive director of the Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), will discuss the correlation between the Japanese-American past and the treatment of law-abiding American Muslim children and families today. The presenters will also talk about what Seattleites can do to prevent harassment and discrimination of American Muslims in their community.
Presenters will include Tom Ikeda, Arsalan Bukhari and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who will be joined in conversation by moderator Michele Storms, Deputy Director of ACLU Washington. The program will open with Troy Osaki, a spoken word poet.
This event is supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and is presented in partnership with Densho, CAIR-WA and ACLU of Washington. Books will be available for purchase from Elliott Bay Book Co. at the event.
Densho's mission is to preserve the testimonies of Japanese-Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II. It offers firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy and promote equal justice for all.