GVJCI DOR to Focus on ‘Resistance at Tule Lake’

Above and below: Scenes from Konrad Aderer’s documentary “Resistance at Tule Lake.”

GARDENA — “Resistance at Tule Lake” will be the theme of the 2017 Day of Remembrance event on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute, 1964 W. 162nd St. in Gardena.

This year’s program marks 75 years since President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942, allowing for the U.S. military to forcibly remove and incarcerate 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry solely on the basis of their race. About two-thirds of those imprisoned were American citizens. People lost their homes, jobs, businesses and possessions, and suffered great emotional trauma.

Eventually, the government tried to test the loyalty of these incarcerees by forcing them to answer a controversial questionnaire that ultimately divided the community and initiated the formation of Tule Lake Segregation Center. Filmmaker Konrad Aderer tells this unique story in a new documentary, “Resistance at Tule Lake.”

A post-screening panel on Tule Lake will feature George Nakano, Nancy Oda, Yukio Kawaratani and Bill Nishimura. There will also be a spoken-word performance by Soji Kashiwagi and Kurt Ikeda.

Elected officials expected to attend are Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Gardena), State Sen. Steve Bradford (D-San Pedro) and Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance).

Free admission. For more information, call (310) 324-6611 or visit www.jci-gardena.org.