IT’S TIME TO RENAME VICTORY DAY
Rhode Island is the only state that celebrates “Victory Day,” and it is time that changed.
What is Victory Day?
Victory Day is observed on the second Monday of August and we are the only state that observes the holiday. Others celebrated Victory Over Japan Day (or V-J Day) which celebrates August 14, 1945, the day Japan surrendered, ending World War II -- the deadliest conflict in human history. The Japanese surrender came days after the United States detonated nuclear bombs over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing as many as 200,000 people, mostly civilians, and poisoning many thousands more. It remains, gratefully, the only time nuclear weapons have been used in war.
What’s Wrong With It?
This celebration is disrespectful to Japanese-Americans who lost loved ones in the bombings and who were held in U.S. internment camps during the war
Victory Day is bad for Rhode Island’s reputation. It does not reflect our values of inclusiveness and welcome, and it discourages any potential economic partnership with Asia.
It is the only war with its own state holiday, privileging some veterans over others.
“Victory Day” celebrates conflict at a time when our nation and our state need to embrace unity
But what about our veterans?
Every one of our veterans deserve our respect and support. The national celebration of Veterans Day annually on November 11 is an important national acknowledgement of the sacrifice generations have made in defense of our country.
What Should We Do?
We are working on introducing legislation at the State House to Rename Victory Day. You can support this work by:
Get on the mailing list
Contact your state legislators (click here to figure out who represents you)
Picking up and display posters
Share on social media
#RENAMEVICTORYDAY was started in 2019 by artist Lois Harada. Posters were created with alternate day names in 2019 to encourage residents to rethink the naming of the holiday.
In 2020, she printed a larger poster with only the hashtag. These were displayed in local business windows with a statement about the project. She also hired a plane to carry that message over the beaches in Rhode Island on the day.
Originally from Salt Lake City, Harada has been a Rhode Island resident since 2006. Her paternal grandmother was incarcerated in a camp in Poston, Arizona from 1942-1945 and much of her works revolves around that history.
Amanda Woodward started a similar campaign with an op-ed in 2020 and the petition above. She and Harada are working together to make legislative change.
Read more about the project here. https://www.loisharada.com/renamevictoryday