Fred Korematsu

New Book On Civil Rights Icon Fred Korematsu Challenges Children To Speak Up For Justice

... Speaks Up ," written by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi and illustrated by Yutaka Houlette, is scheduled to be released on Jan. 30. It shows how a young Korematsu was just like other Americans who liked listening to music on the radio and playing tennis. The book also covers how he first evaded and then fought the incarceration of Japanese Americans all the way to the Supreme Court. "Fred Korematsu is one of my heroes," coauthor Stan Yogi told NBC News. "During World War II, he stood virtually alone against a powerful government that was violating the rights of Japanese Americans by forcing them into camps. His fight for justice was difficult. But he ultimately prevailed. He dedicated the final decades of his life to ensuring that others would not suffer the same unfair discrimination Japanese Americans endured during World War II.". "[Korematsu's] story is all the more important now with threats to ...

Schools Stay Open Despite Weather

... that as a father of two teenage daughters, he benefited from hearing this presentation. * Trustee Madhavi Sunder reminded parents that California will celebrate Fred Korematsu Day on Jan. 30. Sunder and several other parents led an effort several years ago name a new school in the Mace Ranch neighborhood in honor of Fred Korematsu, who conducted a long legal battle challenging the World War II internment of Japanese Americans. Korematsu was ultimately honored with the Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1998. Sunder and her husband Anupam Chander wrote a comic book titled “Fred Korematsu — All American Hero,” with the goal of introducing young readers to Korematsu’s story. * School board president Barbara Archer mentioned that the Davis Farm to School Group is reorganizing and planning new fundraisers, following the passing last year of longtime Farm to School activist (and retired teacher) Dorothy Peterson. During public comment, junior high student Anoushka Chander spoke, describing the activities of a ...

Presidents Have Restricted Minorities Before. Here’s How History Judged Their Choices

... and accountability.”. Korematsu was even personally honored by President Bill Clinton in 1998 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his pursuit of constitutional liberty, and Clinton described Korematsu alongside the “distinguished list” of other civil rights activists including Rosa Parks and Oliver Brown, of the case Brown v. Board of Education. Korematsu died in 2005, aged 86. But his personal legacy remained at odds with his judicial loss, which lawyer Peter Irons said Korematsu “felt responsible” for decades. Korematsu v. United States technically remains on the books though the decision has been nearly universally criticized. Several justices on the current court have said such a decision would “never again survive scrutiny,” according to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Even the late Justice Antonin Scalia called the decision “wrong,” though he acknowledged, “I would not be surprised to see it happen again—in time of war. It’s no justification but it is the reality.”. Indeed, Korematsu’s case recently resurfaced as possible judicial precedent — for another of Trump’s proposed policies. Shortly ...

Nichi Bei A ‘delectable’ Though Perhaps ‘paradoxical’ Tribute To A Civil Rights Icon

... of other Nisei. Following his conviction and the loss of his case in the U. S. Supreme Court two years later (which by that time had become moot, for all practical purposes) Korematsu remained virtually silent about his experience for 40 years — so much so that his children did not discover the story of his court case until they learned about it in school. Unlike his fellow Supreme Court litigants Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui, he did not involve himself in the Japanese American Redress Movement during the 1970 s. In the wake of his victory in the coram nobis challenge to his conviction in 1983, he began to emerge as a public figure and spokesperson for civil rights. Paradoxically, it is Korematsu’s status as an everyman figure, motivated by small-scale individual concerns and uncertain about whether to proceed, that makes him an especially potent symbol. (I once heard a prominent Nisei deplore the fact that Korematsu, a self-interested and accidental defendant, was selected for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, while men of principle such as Hirabayashi and Yasui were ignored). This lends a certain irony to the book’s title, as Korematsu ...

This Chinese New Year, Make Noise, Be Brave, Create Your Own Luck

... so that the new year can begin fresh. I wish. Instead, I usually end up treating the Lunar New Year as an extension, an extra month or two to finish up the old calendar year before I have to start thinking about the new. On Jan. 1 when people ask, "What are your New Year's resolutions?" I answer, "Oh, I'm Chinese American, I still have another month.". Frances Kai-Hwa Wang's daughter making dumplings for the Chinese New Year. Frances Kai-Hwa Wang. However, this past year, I have been feeling so overextended that I have been actively trying to pare down my commitments so that I am not obligated to too many others. During the two weeks of winter break that my children were out of school, I did not leave the house. I just sat in my kitchen, and I worked. Somehow, miraculously, I finished all of my 2016 commitments by Jan. 7, 2017, a first ever for me. I remember spending all of Jan. 8 in a daze. I had new stuff I ...

5 Datos Importantes Que Tienes Que Saber

... La hija de Korematsu, Karen, que es la directora del instituto que lleva el nombre de su padre, también habló recientemente en octubre sobre el legado de su padre y lo que les está pasando a los musulmanes estadounidenses hoy en día. “Él estaría muy disgustado de que no hemos aprendido nuestras lecciones de la historia”, ella dijo sobre Trump en una entrevista con KTVU-TV. “Lo que no aprendimos a partir de 1942 de la orden ejecutiva del presidente Roosevelt es que no podemos perfil racial y asumir todo el mundo es culpable sólo porque Están asociados con una religión o un grupo étnico. “Es muy aterrador. Es como 1942 de nuevo”, dijo. “Así que cuando la gente está haciendo declaraciones totalmente que van en contra de todos los principios de ser un americano, entonces todo lo que necesitamos es hablar.”. “Afortunadamente, ahora tenemos otras organizaciones que son capaces de hablar, Considerando, en 1942 en ...

Quebec Mosque Massacre Shocks Social Media

... is our look at what people are talking about across Twitter and Facebook. Here's what is trending on social media this Monday. Quebec: Six people died in a shooting in a Quebec City mosque on Sunday during evening prayers. Another eight people were injured in the attack, which Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said specifically targeted Muslims. The massacre comes as tensions continue to roil over Trump's executive order on Friday against Muslims seeking to enter the US. Quebec is trending on Twitter with more than 570,000 tweets about the terrorist attack. Muslim Ban: One of Trump's latest executive orders has inflamed social media for days. The sweeping order on Friday to block entry into the US of refugees worldwide and of travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries sparked instant outcries and protests across the nation, particularly at airports. The protests have included a Delete Uber hashtag related to the support Trump's gotten from the ride-hailing service's CEO. On ...

Re-imagine Adeline Exhibit At Ed Roberts Campus

... at least two weeks before event. Re-Imagine Adeline: The city is holding a new exhibit for the Adeline Corridor planning process. The exhibit is based on community input and is created to help visualize potential changes to the Adeline Street Corridor. Community feedback helps the city to move into the next phase of the planning process. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 3 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 4. Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline St. Free. 510-981-7409, __link__. The Importance of Being Earnest: The Actors Ensemble of Berkeley celebrate their 60 th anniversary with a new production of the Oscar Wilde timeless classic “The Importance of Being Earnest.” 8 p.m. Feb. 3, 4, 10, 11 and 2 p.m. Feb. 5. Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck Ave. $15 to $20. 510-649-5999, __link__. Adult Literacy Tutor Training: Berkeley READS Adult & Family Literacy Program is looking for adult literary tutors volunteers. Come to a two-session tutor training that covers getting ready and practical tips, and presentations by learners and tutors. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 4 and 6:45 ...

Fred Korematsu Is Subject Of Children’s Book

... of social progress. Atkins is a Berkeley author, teacher and independent children’s book editor with a focus on diversity and equity, while Yogi managed development programs for the ACLU of Northern California before moving to Los Angeles. The idea for the book and series came from Malcolm Margolin, founder and former publisher of Heyday, publishers of the book and series, who thought it would be a good idea to have a children’s version of “Wherever There’s a Fight.”. The selection of Korematsu was personal to Yogi. “Fred Korematsu is one of my heroes,” Yogi said. “I really feel his courage and his persistence, his vision of justice are all qualities I think others would find inspiring as well and the political context in which this book is being released is unfortunately very relevant to Fred’s story.”. The authors formatted the book so children could access it in different ways. Korematsu’s biography is written in free verse with short lines and space on the page, so as not to intimidate reluctant readers. “We wanted to really focus ...

Google Doodle Honors Fred Korematsu, Activist Who Fought U.s. Internment Of Japanese Americans

... an ugly moment in American history, in which fear outweighed tolerance. Korematsu, the son of Japanese immigrants, refused to go into the government's internment camps and was arrested and convicted of breaking military law. With the help of the ACLU, Korematsu appealed in the landmark Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. United States, but in 1944 the court ruled against him. He and his family were then sent to the Central Utah War Relocation Center until the end of the war in 1945. Korematsu's conviction was overturned in 1983 when evidence came to light that showed the FBI knew there was no serious evidence that America's Japanese population was helping the enemy. TIME wrote. The Supreme Court precedent would still stand, but the judge who cleared Korematsu's conviction declared in her ruling that, in the words of the report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation, "Korematsu lies overruled in the court of ...

Daughter Of Civil Rights Icon Fred Korematsu Reflects On Internment, Executive Orders

... T. Korematsu Institute , said her dad never doubted his constitutional rights as an American citizen that he learned about as a student at Oakland’s Castlemont High School. “Why should he go to a prison camp when there were no charges, there was no day in court, there was no access to an attorney?” Karen said. “All due process of law was completely violated.”. Fred Korematsu was tried and convicted in federal court in 1942 for violating military orders issued under Executive Order 9066, and was taken with his family and placed in the Central Utah War Relocation Center in Topaz, Utah. Fred Korematsu Events. Oakland: 7 th Annual Fred Korematsu Day Of Civil Liberties And The Constitution, ‘Mass Incarceration Across Communities,’ 1/29 at the Paramount Theater. Chico: Fred Korematsu Celebration, Jan. 30 at Chico Peace and Justice Center. Four decades after Korematsu’s arrest, a district court judge in San Francisco formally vacated his ...

Richmond Program To Celebrate Fred Korematsu Day

... Korematsu, founder and executive director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, will discuss her father’s life as a civil rights activist at a free talk at 11 a.m. Jan. 28 at the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center , 1414 Harbour Way South.  The event celebrates Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, a day created on Jan. 30, 2010, by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to remember the life of Fred Korematsu and recognize the importance of preserving civil liberties. “Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942, leading to the forced removal and mass incarceration of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry to incarceration camps,” the park noted in an announcement. “Join us to view the two-time Emmy Award winning short documentary ‘Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story’ and revisit the injustices faced by Japanese Americans during World War II. The event will honor the legacy of Fred Korematsu, and discuss the importance of American civil liberties and our constitutional rights.”. Space is limited and reservations ...