Our darkest hour was not when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941.  It was when the US government deprived certain citizens of their freedom.

The days following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor were dark days of the American spirit. Unable to strike back effectively against the Japanese Empire, Americans in the Western states lashed out at fellow citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry. 

Executive Order 9066, signed by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, was the instrument that allowed military commanders to designate areas "from which any or all persons may be excluded." Under this order all Japanese and Americans of Japanese ancestry were removed from Western coastal regions to guarded camps in the interior.

A/PGF was pleased to have as our guest speaker, Tak Yamamoto, who relived his own personal experience during those days when Japanese Americans were imprisoned. 

For more information about Japanese-American internment and see photos of the camps, visit:  http://manzanarcommittee.org