"We are all Americans in this country."
—Fred Korematsu (1919-2005)
When Japanese-Americans were sent to camps during World War II, Fred Korematsu refused to go, saying, "I am an American." His 40-year fight became a symbol of equality and freedom. A few days ago, California celebrated its first Fred Korematsu Day and Feb. 19 marks the 69th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 that legalized the internment. This is Korematsu's story, produced for UNITY Lab.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld charges against Korematsu in 1944 and it would take nearly 40 years for his charges to be formally overturned. Korematsu said, "It was a great victory for all Americans and all Asians in this country, that this will never happen again."
On Jan. 30, 2011, California celebrated its first Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. It is the first day named after an Asian-American in the history of the United States. Five hundred teachers in California are teaching Korematsu's story.
“In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls: Plessy, Brown, Parks. To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu,” said President Bill Clinton when he presented Korematsu with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, in 1998.
This is one of more than 20 films produced by Not In Our Town's parent company, The Working Group, for UNITY Lab. This includes excerpts of the Eric Paul Fournier's film Of Civil Rights and Wrongs: The Fred Korematsu Story. For more information on Fred Korematsu or to download a curriculum, visit www.korematsuinstitute.org.
Related content:
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From CBS News: "Bay Area Honors Man Who Refused WWII Internment": Video
Comments
What a story to read/hear! I
What a story to read/hear! I am often left wondering what we woudl have done in terms of justice if we were alive in this time. A true role model, I can only imagine the perserverance he displayed when facing the turmoil that the internment caused in his life.
Plessy, Brown and Korematsu.....what an honor! Love that he is now studied in schools. Would like more information on him and the internment.
Fred Korematsu is an
Fred Korematsu is an inspiration indeed. I'd highly recommend the Korematsu materials referenced above -- the Korematsu Institute has provided a trove of information for schools.
Stories like this also make me wonder what we would've done had we lived during that era. The Japanese-American internment remains a moment in our history that we continue to return to when the national conversation sparks the question of whether it's acceptable for a government to target a specific ethnic group during times of war. Korematsu's story may provide an answer, what do you think?
Japanese American Internment/ Fred Korematsu
This is a wonderful short video to use with students and I appreciate the related content and resources included as well. The video not only brings the tragic history of the Japanese American internment to students, it also provides the window into a wonderful upstander, Fred Korematsu, who resiliently stood up not only for his own civil rights but for the rights of every citizen. Many teachers have their students read Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James Houston and the video would be a great resource to accompany it. Facing History and Ourselves created a guide for the book which delves into the history. It can be found at www.facinghistory.org Thanks!
Great idea! I haven't read
Great idea! I haven't read Farewell to Manzanar yet, but I suspect it would be a great companion to this video. Other books that come to mind: Obasan by Joy Kogawa (focusing on the Japanese internment in Canada), When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka (in the U.S.) and All I Asking For Is My Body by Milton Murayama (focusing on the Japanese community in Hawaii before and during the Pearl Harbor bombing). Such an important moment in American history, so glad teachers are addressing it in their classrooms!
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