News & Announcements

Day of Remembrance February 22, 2026 

Join hosts Watsonville-Santa Cruz JACL and the four other local JACL chapters to remember the grave injustices brought about by Executive Order 9066 and to reaffirm our commitment to "Never Again."

• Sunday, February 22, 2026

• 1:00 PM – 3:15 PM (Refreshments to follow)

• Salinas Community Center (940 North Main St., Salinas, CA)

• Free and open to the public

Eighty-four years ago, on February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 led to the forced removal and incarceration of 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry. Our local community was deeply impacted. Over 3,500 residents from Watsonville, Santa Cruz, Salinas, Monterey, and surrounding areas were detained for several months at the Salinas Assembly Center while a permanent incarceration camp was being built at Poston, Arizona, one of ten scattered in remote parts of the country. 

This year, we will gather at this historic site to honor them and to stand against the recurring cycles of racism, hysteria, and the failure of political leadership that threaten civil liberties today. Join us as the five local JACL chapters gather to remember history and those wronged by Executive Order 9066, and reaffirm our commitment to "Never Again."

Program 

Part 1 Day of Remembrance (Watsonville-Santa Cruz JACL)

1:00PM Meet at Salinas Memorial Garden and State Historical Landmark of the 1942 Temporary Detention Center (grass area near the California Rodeo Grounds).  

1:30 PM Move indoors to Santa Lucia Room for

• Historical background of Day of Remembrance and Memorial Garden (W-SC JACL, Memorial Garden Maintenance Team)

• Alien Enemies Act-Then and Now (Ann Jordan, Salinas Valley JACL)

Part 2 Pre-WWII Nikkei Farming Presentation (Larry Hirahara, members of Kansha History Project)

• 2:20 PM Santa Lucia Room

3:15PM to 4PM  Refreshments

Kansha History Project will make farm records of Nikkei families available to view during this time.