Please join the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the San Jose Japanese American (JA) community at a panel discussion regarding civil liberties.  It is especially important to discuss these issues because of the recent escalation of xenophobia and of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the wake of the attacks on Paris.  The debate over Syrian refugees, as well as the mass shooting in San Bernardino, have also added to the atmosphere of heightened tensions.

The panel discussion includes the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) chapters from San Jose, Silicon Valley, and Sequoia; Asian Law Alliance; Nihonmachi Outreach Committee; and the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the ACLU.

As highlighted in the national debate, JAs have found that the WWII exclusion and incarceration have become a touchstone for both good and evil.  For example, Jay Inslee, governor of Washington, will not close doors to refugees because of the terrible experience that his state witnessed when JAs were forcibly removed from Bainbridge Island. On the flip side, the mayor of Roanoke, Virginia, has cited the exclusion and incarceration of JAs to be the model for how to look at Syrian refugees. Similarly, Donald Trump has proposed a mandatory registration of Muslims in the United States. We would like to make sure that our community, having experienced the WWII internment, makes it clear that we oppose the scapegoating and hate mongering that now threaten more thoughtful discourse.
 

   
Cost: There is no cost for this event.