RESOLUTION | ||||
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS | ||||
RESOLUTION HONORING | ||||
Japanese-American Scouts During World War II | ||||
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * | ||||
WHEREAS, on February 19, 1942, Presidential Executive Order No. 9066 initiated the forced relocation of some 120,000 Japanese-Americans to 10 internment camps in California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Arkansas; and | ||||
WHEREAS, tens of thousands of American citizens were unlawfully stripped of properties and civil rights, solely based on their cultural ancestry; and | ||||
WHEREAS, thousands of children and teens, many with male relatives in prison, found themselves in the camps directionless, bored, frustrated, angry and with little adult supervision; and | ||||
WHEREAS, the arrival of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts into the camps filled the void and instilled patriotism in the youth even as their country turned against them; and | ||||
WHEREAS, scouting created a framework upon which the young men and women built lifelong relationships that eventually benefited themselves, their communities and the country in the public as well as private sectors; and | ||||
WHEREAS, the 2005 first-ever reunion of interned Japanese-American scouts during World War II highlights a bright spot in what otherwise is among the darkest chapters of American history. | ||||
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors of San Mateo County recognizes the tremendous contribution made by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and commends the interned Japanese-American scouts for their perseverance, courage and successful resolve against overwhelming discrimination. | ||||
Dated: JUNE 9, 2005 | ||||
SUPERVISORS: |
||||
RICHARD S. GORDON, PRESIDENT | ||||
MARK CHURCH | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
Attest: |
_________________________________ | |||
Deputy Clerk of the Board of Supervisors | ||||