On Saturday, March 25, 2017, the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee (NOC) and the South Bay Islamic Association (SBIA) will be co-sponsoring a day of solidarity with the American Muslim community. A march of solidarity will begin in San Jose Japantown and will end with a rally at San Jose City Hall.

75 years earlier, on March 24, 1942, the U.S. government imposed a curfew on Japanese Americans living on the west coast. The same day, the first round-up of an entire community took place on Bainbridge Island, Washington, across Puget Sound from Seattle. The curfew also led to one of the first acts of resistance, when Japanese American lawyer Min Yasui deliberately broke the curfew to test the legality of EO 9066 on March 28, 1942.

Following the November 2016 election, we have seen a rise in anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments. Then on January 27, 2017 President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13769, which sought to ban travel from seven majority-Muslim countries. In response, states filed lawsuits that led to a court injunction against the ban, while grassroots protests of thousands of people happened at airports across the country.

NOC and the SBIA would like to invite you to a grassroots day of solidarity between Japanese Americans and American Muslims on Saturday, March 25, 2017. The event will begin at 11 a.m. in San Jose Japantown atthe corner of 5th Street and Jackson Street, and will proceed down 6th Street to a rally at 12:00 p.m at San Jose City Hall on 5th Street and Santa Clara. The event is free and open to all who wish to oppose the growing anti-Muslim sentiments and government actions today.

If you would like more information or if you would like to volunteer, please contact Masao at 408-373-0817 or send email to info@sjnoc.org.