Members of the Japanese-American community and their friends observe February 19th as a Day of Remembrance, as it marks the date in 1942 when Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt, leading to the internment of Japanese-Americans in concentration camps spread throughout the country.

Tonight, Shizue Seigel, Hiroshi Kashiwag, Mia Ayumi Malhotra and Peter Yamamoto read prose and poetry in observation of this dark chapter in American history — a chapter which seems to be endlessly rewritten, as it is being rewritten today in this era of unspeakable travesties and cruelty.

An open mic follows the featured readers.

Chiura Obata, Sunset, Watertower, March 10, 1943. Ink, color and mica on paper, 15 1/4 x 20 1/2 in. Collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; used by permission of Kimi Kodani Hill. For some background on the artist, follow this link.