Newsroom

CORVALLIS - Oregon State University will recognize the 60th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 with a series of events on campus. On Feb. 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the order, allowing for the mass internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

OSU will have a display in the Memorial Union this Feb. 18-19 featuring photographs, reproductions of historical documents, and general information about the experiences of Japanese Americans relating to the internment.

On Monday, Feb. 18, the university will host an event called "Battling on Two Fronts, at Home and Abroad: Japanese Americans Serving during WWII," that will focus on the experiences of WWII Japanese American veterans. The program begins at 6 p.m. in the International Forum behind Snell Hall with the screening of a one-hour documentary, "Honor Bound," which tells the story of the segregated all-Japanese American 100th Battalion/442nd Combat Team.

The film will be followed by the appearance of an honor guard from OSU and a panel discussion and open forum. Panelists include Bob Kono, author of a recently published novel, "The Last Fox," which tells the story of a second-generation Japanese American soldier fighting in Europe. Other panelists include two veterans from the 442nd, John Murakami of Portland and OSU professor emeritus Richard Morita.

On Tuesday, Feb. 19, OSU will host a readers' theater focusing on "Civil Liberties vs. National Security: Executive Order 9066 Sixty Years Later." The readings and open forum will address civil liberties of Japanese Americans in World War II and compare them to post-Sept. 11 events. The program begins at noon in Memorial Union Room 206.

On Wednesday, Feb. 20, the film "Snow Falling on Cedars" will be shown at the Asian Cultural Center at 7 p.m.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, call the Asian/Pacific American Education Office at 541-737-9033.