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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