SFSU to honor Japanese American students who faced discrimination in World War II

WHAT: San Francisco State University commemorates the annual Day of Remembrance, recognizing the unlawful incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War War II, with a special event, free and open to the public. Event organizers invite attendees to reflect on contemporary experiences of racialized violence and xenophobia.  

The event will feature an exhibition of the Wakasa Spirit Stone, a screening of the short film “DUST” by Glenn Mitsui and Brandon Shimoda and a ceremony honoring the 19 Japanese American SFSU students forced to withdraw from their classes during World War II and taken to barbed-wire prison camps. The film begins at 5:30 p.m. in Burk Hall room 28, followed by an outdoor ceremony in the Ruth Asawa Garden of Remembrance. Several children of the original students will attend, with one of them slated to perform a musical piece. 

Dedicated in 2002, the Garden of Remembrance is artist Ruth Asawa’s final installation, located between Burk Hall and the Fine Arts building on the main SFSU campus. A cascading waterfall signifies the return of the incarcerated people to the coastline after the war. Ten large boulders represent each of the camps set up during World War II. The names of the SFSU students and the names of the camps are listed on a bronze, scroll-shaped marker. The marker also includes reproductions of official government documents regarding the incarceration.  

WHO: San Francisco State University’s Edison Uno Initiative for Nikkei and Uchinaanchu Studies and Asian American Studies Department, including Professor Cassie Miura and other community members. 

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 19, 5:30 – 7 p.m. 

WHERE: Burk Hall room 28 and the Garden of Remembrance, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco 

HOW: For more information and to RSVP, visit the SFSU event page.