Bay Area Day of Remembrance pays tribute to Japanese Americans interned during WWII in SF Japantown

SAN FRANCSICO (KGO) — A tribute to the more than 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned during World War II took place in San Francisco’s Japantown Sunday.

The “Bay Area Day of Remembrance” commemorates the 1942 executive order that forced men, women and children of Japanese descent into internment camps without due process.

Advocates say this is especially important in the context of Pres. Donald Trump’s unprecedented immigration enforcement.

MORE: Japanese American soldiers once branded ‘enemy aliens’ to be promoted posthumously

“It’s important to remember what happened and hopefully make sure it never happens again, and, of course, perhaps stand in solidarity with those other immigrant communities that are currently being targeted by the same laws that put our community in prison,” said Jeffery Matsuoka, chair of the Bay Area Day of Remembrance.

Feb. 19 marks 84 years since Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the executive order.