Seia Watanabe, VP Public Affairs, swatanabe@jacl.org
Matthew Weisbly, Education Programs Manager, mweisbly@jacl.org
Kyle Kinoshita, Seattle Chapter JACL President, kinoshitakyle@hotmail.com
Seattle, Washington, July 15, 2024. The Japanese American Citizens League expresses its dismay with the apparent theft of a statue of Sadako Sasaki from Seattle’s Peace Park. Sadako Sasaki has come to symbolize the hope for world peace due to her tragic death related to the bombing of Hiroshima and this statue has an especially important tie to our Japanese American community. The park was created due to the leadership and activism of Floyd Schmoe, who dedicated his life first to fighting the injustice of Japanese American mass incarceration during WWII and after the war, to the lasting impacts of the atomic bomb on the Japanese people who survived. The removal of this statue is an affront to the legacy of Floyd Schmoe, and in the face of increasing political and wartime violence, is an unfortunate reminder of the deterioration of the dream of world peace.
“The JACL Seattle Chapter is dismayed that this monument to peace has been stolen from the people of Seattle,” stated Seattle Chapter President Kyle Kinoshita. “In just a few weeks, on August 7, we will be joining several Seattle organizations in the annual lantern floating ceremony to honor the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and other victims of violence. It is especially disturbing that this would happen so close to the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Floyd Schmoe, who led efforts to establish the park and erect the statue, was a lifelong supporter of our community and did more than anyone to advance the civil and human rights of all people.”
“JACL just completed its national convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this past weekend where we passed a resolution calling for peace in Gaza. It is especially troubling that just as we were working towards a call for peace, this symbol of that hope was having its legs literally cut off at the knees,” stated JACL Executive Director, David Inoue. “I hope that the City of Seattle will be able to recover the statue or replace it as soon as possible, not only as a meaningful symbol of peace, but as part of the legacy of Floyd Schmoe, a man who means so much to the Japanese American community, and deserves to be remembered for all the great things he so humbly did during his life.”
The national JACL and Seattle Chapter join in calls for the swift and safe return of this beloved statue.
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About The Japanese American Citizens League
The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational, and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.
About The Seattle ChapterJACL
The Seattle Chapter JACL has been unafraid to tackle difficult and, often, controversial issues related to the wartime experience of our community and other civil rights issues. The exceptional pioneers who sustained our organization during one of the most difficult periods in US history laid a strong foundation for the work of future generations of Japanese Americans who believe strongly in the principles of justice, equality and fair play.
