“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. The Journal last week reached out to a dozen of the state’s high-ranking elected officials and 2020 candidates for their takes on whether Victory Day is ripe for a change. “ father served in the Pacific during World War II and he believes that everyone who served with him should continue to be honored and remembered on Victory Day." Dan McKee, wrote The Journal in an email. "The Allied triumph in World War II was nothing less than the triumph of good over evil,“ Andrea Palagi, spokeswoman for Lt. But in a state with a large number of veterans and a protective sense of tradition, the idea of taking victory out of Victory Day meets stiff pushback.
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