2010 - 2014 Events
Reception to Celebrate the CHC Civil Liberties Initiative
February 19, 2014
Margaret Butcher, and the memory of Audrey Butcher, were honored at a reception in the California History Center from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
The event featured remarks from U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (17th Congressional District) who as a small child was detained with his family in an internment camp. Music was provided by Emmy-winning composer Mark Izu. The event also included exhibits from the CHC library and archives and a student project from the Euphrat Museum of Art on human and civil rights.
The reception followed De Anza College's annual Day of Remembrance event marking the internment, which was held in Campus Center Conference Rooms A&B from 1:30-3 p.m.
Annual Day of Remembrance
February 19, 2014
The California History Center invites you to participate in the twelfth annual De Anza College Day of Remembrance. Join with Japanese American communities throughout the country who annually commemorate the date, February 19, 1942, during World War II on which an executive order was signed that led to the imprisonment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans without due process and with no regard for their constitutional rights. The community now uses this date to encourage active participation in defending the basic civil liberties of all Americans.
Featured Speakers:
- Poet, Editor, Brian Komei Dempster – Brian is a USF professor and has helped former internees write about their experiences in the camps. His publications include, From Our Side of the Fence: Growing up in America's Concentration Camps and has a collection, recently published, of his own poetry about the internment experience entitled Topaz. He will be accompanied by two former internees and authors.
- Authors, Elaine Elinson and Stan Yogi – Elaine and Stan co-authored, Wherever There’s a Fight: How Runaway Slaves, Suffragists, Immigrants, Strikers, and Poets Shaped Civil Liberties in California. Both are former staff members of the ACLU of Northern California as well as accomplished writers and editors.
- Samina Faheem – Samina represents the organization American Muslim Voice in the San José area that promotes deeper understanding of the Muslim American experience through open dialogue and discussion.
Exhibit: Lens on Silicon Valley
March 23, 2013
Lens on Silicon Valley, a photographic exhibition by Los Gatos/Saratoga Camera Club at Le Petit Trianon, DeAnza College. On View March 12 through June 20, 2013.
Annual Day of Remembrance
February 26, 2013
DeAnza College's 11th Annual Day of Remembrance.
Race Prejudice, War Hysteria, and the Failure of Political Leadership: The World War II Internment of Japanese Americans and its relevance to the defense of civil liberties today.
Join three generations of Japanese Americans in a discussion on the impact of the World War II internment on their lives and community, and what it means for all Americans, especially now in a time of heightened fear and conflict.
Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Time: 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Campus Center, Conf. Room B
Featured Speakers
- Amy Imai, former internee, Heart Mountain Internment Camp
- Susan Hayase, former Vice Chair, Civil Liberties and Public Education Fund Board
- Robert Ehara, De Anza student representing the Asian Pacific American Students for Leadership Club
Also Featuring
- Dr. Alice Yang, Provost, Stevenson College and Associate Professor of History, University of California, Santa Cruz
- Dr. Yang’s specialties include historical memory, World War II, Asian American history, race, gender, and oral history. Her publications include, "Historical Memories of the Japanese American Internment and the Struggle for Redress" (2007) and "What Did the Internment of Japanese Americans Mean?" (2000). She is currently researching transnational memories of World War II in the Pacific.
Sponsors: California History Center. Funding provided by the DASB.
Accessibility: The event is wheelchair accessible. Sign language interpreter or other accommodations available upon request 5 business days prior to event.
Annual Day of Remembrance
February 19, 2012
DeAnza College's 9th Annual Day of Remembrance.
Join with Japanese American communities throughout the country who annually commemorate the date of February 19, 1942. This is the date when an executive order was signed during World War II that led to the imprisonment of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans without due process and with no regard for their constitutional rights.
The community now uses this date to encourage active participation in defending the basic civil liberties of all Americans. February 19, 2012 will mark the 70th year anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066.
What can the World War II imprisonment of Japanese Americans teach us about defending our civil liberties today?
Date: Thursday, February 16, 2012
Time: 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Hinson Campus Center, Conference Rooms A & B
Featured Speakers:
- Zahra Billoo (pictured), Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, community advocate and attorney
- Masao Suzuki, Professor of Economics, Skyline College, member, South Bay Committee Against Political Repression and member, San Jose Nihonmachi Outreach Committee
- Susan Hayase, former Vice Chair, Civil Liberties Public Education Fund, and Chair of the first National Day of Remembrance held in Washington D.C., 1998
This year's program will focus on the increasing hostility aimed at Muslim Americans and the use of federal law enforcement agencies in spying on US citizens. Of great concern is the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Obama on December 31, 2011 that includes authorization for the military to detain, indefinitely, without due process, US citizens as part of the “War on Terror.”
Sponsors: California History Center and the Institute of Community and Civic Engagement. Funding provided by the DASB. We strongly urge all students to support the DASB by paying the DASB card registration fee.
Accessibility: The event is wheelchair accessible. Sign language interpreter or other accommodations available upon request 5 business days prior to event.