"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."