To try to dilute the purpose of Victory Day would be a travesty.” “Victory Day is a tribute to every American who was at home or in the battlefield. “American soldiers fought and died for every American’s freedom, including the freedom of the Japanese who eventually made their home here and we can never ever forget that,” Lancia wrote in an email. Robert Lancia, who is seeking the Republican nomination in the 2nd Congressional District, said the purpose of Victory Day “is not to have anyone relive internment camps or the trials and sufferings on both sides.” Framing the holiday to recognize the entirety of the experience of war instead of just victory is an opportunity for Japanese and Americans alike to consider the horrors of war and pay their respects to all those that suffered, including those that served.“įormer state Rep.
“I would humbly suggest renaming it Pacific Theater (PT) Day. We must look beyond our triumph to recognize the horror of war.” “So, the problem with Victory Day is not that it remembers our war with Japan, the problem is that its focus is too narrow. The good, the bad, the triumphs and failures all need recognition,” Conley wrote in an email. “We do not respect our past unless we confront it in its entirety. Jim Langevin in a Democratic primary, wants to keep the holiday’s focus on World War II, but call the holiday Pacific Theater Day to remove the triumphalism. Providence Licensing Board Chairman Dylan Conley, who is challenging U.S. Some of the holiday’s defenders felt that concession to public sensitivities over Japan was more than enough. However, the use of V-J Day was so widespread that in 1999, the General Assembly found it necessary to pass a law banning any government entity from referring to the holiday as anything other than Victory Day. John Pastore commemorating the anniversary of Japanese surrender even calls it Victory Day. In 1966, the General Assembly gave the holiday its current place on the calendar, the second Monday in August each year.įor years, Arkansas was the only other state with an official holiday to commemorate the end of World War II, but has since ended it.Īlthough for decades many Rhode Islanders referred to the holiday as V-J Day (for Victory over Japan) the official name was always Victory Day and has never been changed. Victory Day was added to Rhode Island’s list of officials holidays in 1948, three years after the end of the war, and was initially observed on Aug. “This could be a great opportunity to officially recognize other important moments such as May 4th Gaspee Days or Juneteenth.” “Although the blatant anti-Japanese sentiment has been dropped, it is time to engage in a collective conversation around the focus of the Victory Day holiday. “As a proud sister, daughter and granddaughter of Army veterans, I fully appreciate the sacrifices of the Greatest Generation during WWII,” Gorbea told The Journal in an email. “Thousands of Rhode Islanders sacrificed themselves for the cause of democracy, and their example is especially important today given the troubling rise of extremism and totalitarianism both abroad and at home.”Įven Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, who has waded into cultural battles before (he has proposed reparations for Black and indigenous city residents) steered clear of the Victory Day debate.Īmong sitting state officeholders, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea goes the furthest toward supporting a holiday overhaul.
General Treasurer Seth Magaziner “believes it is appropriate to celebrate the end of the second world war as a victory over fascism,” spokesman Evan England wrote in en email. Gina Raimondo, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio all had the same response: no comment.
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