The legacy of Fred Korematsu lives on in today's protests

Most of the thousands of Americans protesting the ICE actions and the threat to civil rights and democracy may not know it but they are walking in the steps of Fred Korematsu. 

Korematsu would have been proud to see the thousands of students walking out of their high schools today protesting against the actions of federal agents ignoring the Constitution.

“Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Fred Korematsu, the civil rights hero who bravely fought against the forced removal and incarceration of over 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of them US citizens, during World War II.," said a statement from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. 

"Mr. Korematsu knew that standing up to the government would cost him his freedom and safety. He did so anyway—taking his case to the Supreme Court and devoting his life to seeking justice—because he believed future generations deserved a country that learned from its mistakes.

“That promise to future generations is now being tested. We are witnessing our nation’s leaders employ the same unjust laws and fearmongering tactics once used against Japanese Americans to target and terrorize immigrant communities today," the statement continues.

Japanese Americans was among the first Asian American communities to protest the Trump regime's mass deportation policies and the denial of due process, and the detention of thousands of people, most of them people of color.

“Federal agents are disappearing people from their homes based solely on their accent or appearance. The largest immigration detention center in US history is operating on the grounds of a former Japanese American incarceration camp. The President is invoking the same racist law once used to brand Japanese Americans as ‘alien enemies’ to deny due process and justify his inhumane deportation agenda."

Civil rights activist

Korematsu was born in Oakland, California to parents who had immigrated to the United States from Japan. During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced removal of Japanese Americans to incarceration camps, yet Korematsu defied the orders. He was arrested and detained. Korematsu challenged his conviction and imprisonment, eventually bringing his case before the US Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court’s 1944 ruling in Korematsu v. United States upheld Korematsu’s conviction and the removal orders. 

        FYI: Read more about the life of Fred Korematsu.

Nevertheless, Korematsu continued fighting and successfully overturned his conviction in 1983. He pushed Congress to pass the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which included a public apology and compensation to Japanese Americans who were incarcerated. In 1998, Korematsu was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

He remained a civil rights activist for the remainder of his life especially for the rights of Muslim Americans after 9/11. His legacy continues to inspire new generations in the continued fight for justice.

View from the edge

In 2010, the state of California passed the Fred Korematsu Day bill, making January 30 the first day in the US named after an Asian American.

Fred Korematsu Day inspires modern anti-immigration protests by serving as a warning against using national security to justify racial profiling, fear-mongering, and the violation of civil liberties, as seen with policies targeting Muslims and Latin American immigrants. His story encourages legal and grassroots resistance against similar government-sanctioned discrimination.

“Our communities know all too well the cost of silence in the face of injustice. When Japanese Americans were being targeted, few chose to speak out. We must not make that same mistake again," states CAPAC leaders, including chair Rep. Grace Meng, D-NY. 

"This moment demands that we stand up for our neighbors, for due process, and for the fundamental rights that define who we are as Americans. This is how we honor Fred Korematsu’s legacy and ensure one of the darkest chapters in America’s history does not repeat itself.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

California att'y general issues formal apology to Japanese Americans' incarceration

California Attorney General Rob Bonta

On the 35th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a formal apology acknowledging the role played by the California Attorney General’s Office in unjustly depriving Japanese Americans’ civil rights and civil liberties during and after World War II.

“Today, my office formally apologizes for its past use of legal tools to deprive a generation of Japanese Californians of their liberty and financial security during the World War II era,” said Attorney General Bonta Thursday, Aug. 10.

“The forced relocation and incarceration of Japanese American citizens remains among the darkest periods of our history, and the suffering it caused Japanese American families across California is incalculable. While we can never erase the horrors of the past, we must take steps to atone for past wrongs by answering the call for accountability, truth and reconciliation, racial healing and transformation.

"The California Attorney General’s Office deeply regrets its past complicity in these heinous violations of civil rights, and with this apology, recommits to its mission of protecting and defending civil liberties for all Americans,” stated Bonta, the first Filipino American to occupy the office.

FYI: The formal statement of apology can be found here.

In 2020, the state's lawmakers issued a formal apology for incarcerating people of Japanese descent during WWII.

In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which targeted and imprisoned more than 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who primarily lived on the West Coast. 

Former California Attorney General Earl Warren testified before Congress in support of this order and enforced the California Alien Land Law of 1913, which took possession of agricultural land owned by Japanese American families. 

In 1943, California Attorney General Robert Walker Kenny formed a special unit within the Attorney General's Office to enforce the California Alien Land Law. The California Alien Land Law prohibited Asian immigrants from purchasing or leasing land until 1952, when the California Supreme Court declared the law violated the Fourteenth Amendment.

In 1944, the California Attorney General's Office joined the states of Washington and Oregon in submitting an amicus brief in the US Supreme Court in Korematsu v. United States, supporting the imprisonment of Fred Korematsu — a national civil rights hero who fought against the wrongful incarceration of Japanese Americans — despite the lack of any evidence that he posed a security threat. The Attorney General's Office recognizes today that this was unequivocally incorrect.

As racism, fear, and xenophobia continue to threaten fundamental freedoms, Bonta remains fully committed to fighting for the civil rights of all of California’s diverse communities, evidenced by: 

• Launching the Racial Justice Bureau within the California Department of Justice.
• Holding virtual convening against hate crime with California’s big city Mayors.
• Creating the Community Engagement Office within the California Department of Justice.
• Hosting a public webinar for the National Day of Racial Healing.
• Implementing new guidance, reports, and resources to help public and law enforcement better understand and address hate crimes.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

House unanimously pass bill to help preserve WWII incarceration camps for Japanese Americans

The Amache Internment Camp in Colorado as it looked in WWII.

The drive to preserve the incarceration camps used to relocate Japanese Americans during WWII came a step closer to reality with the unanimous passage of the Japanese American Confinement Education (JACE) Act in the House of Representatives last week.

“The Japanese American story is one that is not told nearly enough. It is one of pain, one of redemption, and one of enrichment," said Rep. Doris Matsui, D-CA, who was born in the euphemistically named the Poston Relocation Center in western Arizona in 1944,

"This bill will ensure that these lessons live into the future – that we continue bending the moral arc of this country by sharing these stories, lifting our voices, and fighting so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past."

In 2006, the Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) Program was established for the preservation and interpretation of U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.

This original legislation was introduced by then-Representative Bill Thomas, Doris Matsui, and Mike Honda. Since the first year of funding in Fiscal Year 2009, $36 million has been provided to 268 projects in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Funding has ranged from as little as $5,000 to over $800 thousand for a single project. 

The JACE act provides an additional $42 million dollars in funding for a total of $80 million. Of that total, $10 million in funding may be used by Japanese American organizations to implement education programs to ensure that present and future generations of Americans will learn from the experience of Japanese American confinement and our country’s subsequent commitment to equal justice under law.

This funding will be used for research and education relating to Japanese American incarceration, and the creation and disbursement of educational materials to promote a national understanding of how and why about 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during WWII.

The Japanese American Citizen League gave credit to Matsui for her leadership in authoring and championing the JACE Act and to Chairman Neguse, Ranking Member Fulcher, and the rest of the members of the National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands subcommittee for shepherding the JACE act to passage.

The JACL urges the Senate to swiftly pass the JACE Act (S.988) where it was sponsored by Hawaii's Sen. Brian Schatz.

"The essence of the American experience isn’t that we’re perfect," said Matsui, "it is that we heal from seeing where we’ve been and teach our younger generations to build a more inclusive, equitable future.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and tips from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

College apologizes after professor alters mural depicting incarceration of Japanese Americans

The plaque adjoining the artwork, (top) was taped over.

ASAM NEWS

The vice president of Bellevue College in Washington whited out part of a mural by a Japanese American artist depicting the incarceration camps from World War II, reports the Seattle Times.

The university is apologizing for the actions of Gayle Colston Barge who has been in her position for more than five years, according to her LinkedIn profile. The school placed Barge on administrative leave after her actions.

The mural features two Japanese American children from an incarceration camp along with a description of the horrendous experience.

According to Professor Leslie Lum, someone removed the sentence that read “After decades of anti-Japanese agitation, led by Eastside businessman Miller Freeman and others, the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans included the 60 families (300 individuals) who farmed Bellevue.”

Freeman — whose family became prominent real estate developers — owned several trade newspapers such as Pacific Fisherman, The Washington Farmer, The Town Crier and a handful others. His publications were an influential news source for businesses, but also became a platform for his anti-Japanese sentiments. Through his newspapers, he advocated for alien land laws in Washington. Freeman and others like him believed that there was no hope for Japanese people to ever become “real American.” He wrote in one Seattle Star editorial dated 1919: “Oil and water do not mix.”

The university says Barge first whited out the reference, then a new description was taped over the original.

” It was a mistake to alter the artist’s work,” school president Jerry Weber wrote in the letter sent to students and staff. “Removing the reference gave the impression that the administrator was attempting to remove or rewrite history, a history that directly impacts many today … Editing artistic works changes the message and meaning of the work.”

In a text to the Seattle Times, artist Erin Shigaki wrote “I feel the feelings associated with both sides of my family being forcibly removed from Seattle – erased, unimportant, disregarded, disrespected, shamed.”

Shikagi described herself as “traumatized” by the defacement.

The missing sentence has since been taped back over the whited-out portion.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

California Assembly passes resolution apologizing for WW2 incarceration of Japanese Americans

2018 PHOTO

Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi sponsored the resolution apologizing for Japanese American incarceration,

It took 78 years but the state of California finally acknowledged its role in the World War 2 incarceration of Japanese Americans by starting the process of issuing an official apology.
The California Assembly unanimously passed the resolution Thursday afternoon. The Senate will vote on its companion measure soon and then the resolution will go to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature.

Even though the US Congress issued a similar apology in 1983, Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi who sponsored the resolution felt it important for the state to iissue its own formal apology. 

"Unfortunately, during the years leading up to World War II, California was at the forefront and led the nation in so many ways in fanning the flames of racism and immigrant scapegoating against Japanese Americans," said Muratsuchi, who was born in Japan.

"I felt that it was important to document this uniquely Californian history of racism and immigrant scapegoating against Japanese Americans."

The Golden State has the largest population of people of Japanese descent of any state, numbering around 430,000.

The resolution came a day after Newsom declared Feb. 19 a Day of Remembrance. That's the date in 1942 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order that led to the imprisonment of Japanese Americans across 10 camps in the West and Arkansas.

"This stain on our history should remind us to always stand up for our fellow Americans, regardless of their national origin or immigration status, and protect the civil rights and liberties that we hold dear," said Newsom on Wednesday.

Japanese Americans also felt it was important to have the resolution because of the current anti-immigrant climate fueld by the Donald Trump administration policies such as the Muslim travel ban and the harsh treatment of asylum speakers at the US' southern border with Mexico that includes the separation of infants and children from their parents.

The Japanese American Citizens League has been outspoken against Trump's treatment of sould-be immigrants and the detention centers that houses thousands of refugees.

“Given recent national events, it is all the more important to learn from the mistakes of the past and to ensure that such an assault on freedom will never again happen to any community in the United States,” the Assembly resolution states.

“Nearly 80 years later, I'm glad that my home state of California is passing a resolution to formally apologize to the Japanese American community for the role it played in perpetrating these atrocities. This apology is long overdue, but necessary," said Rep. Mark Takano.

"Now, we must continue fighting against the Trump Administration’s xenophobic agenda and speak out against the fearmongering that targets innocent communities. It’s up to us to prevent history from repeating itself, and this starts by Congress passing the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act – legislation I introduced with Senator (Mazie) Hirono to prevent the unjust imprisonment of people on the basis of race, religion, nationality, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability. We must do everything we can to safeguard our liberties.”

Rep. Doris Matsui added, “Through our profound sense of togetherness, we will continue bending the moral arc of this country by lifting our voices and fighting so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. Our country’s strength is its diversity, and Japanese Americans, as well as all immigrant communities, will continue to make that American tapestry that much more vibrant.”

California set to apologize for incarceration of Japanese Americans

Executive Order 9066 was signed into law on Feb. 19, 1942.

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A bill from California Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, (D-Torrance) would formally apologize for the state’s role in incarcerating 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, reports the Fresno Bee.

According to the Huff Post, the bill scheduled to be voted on February 20 is widely expected to be passed by the Assembly.

“The Assembly apologizes to all Americans of Japanese ancestry for its past actions in support of the unjust exclusion, removal, and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and for its failure to support and defend the civil rights and civil liberties of Japanese Americans during this period,” the bill reads.

Muratsuchi says the bill is timely given Trump’s immigration policies.

“For many survivors of the Japanese American camps it strikes a deep chord. They see in many ways history repeating itself,” he said to the Fresno Bee.

The vote will come one day after the annual Day of Remembrance. The date of the vote is significant since on Feb. 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt justified the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII.

“Every February, the Japanese American community commemorates Executive Order 9066 as a reminder of the impact the incarceration experience has had on our families, our community, and our country,” the Japanese American Citizen’s League writes on its website. “It is an opportunity to educate others on the fragility of civil liberties in times of crisis, and the importance of remaining vigilant in protecting the rights and freedoms of all.”

Sunday Read: With deep forboding, we must remember Feb. 19

Years ago - before Donald Trump had his reality show - I had just written a column on the anniversary of Executive Order 9066. I distinctly remember a co-worker asking m if "I really thought" the US could incarcerate people on the basis of race again.

I said "Definitely. All that's missing are the brown shirts."

My belief that it could happen again is stronger now than it was then. Under the Trump administration, we are witnessing the rise of white supremacists coming out of the dark corners of our nation; attacks on Muslims and people of color are more commonplace; the administration's racist policies against immigrants. Separating children from their parents and then putting them in cages is no longer on the front pages and the outrage is fading. 

As if the actions of ICE and custom agents isn't bad enough, the creation of so-called elite forces of the border patrol to overcome sanctuary policies of some states and cities is ... well, I'll say it, gestapo-like.

February 19 is observed as the Day of Remembrance for Japanese Americans. On this day in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which gave the U.S. Army the authority to remove civilians from the military zones established in Washington, Oregon, and California during WWII. 

This led to the forced removal and incarceration of some 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast, who had to abandon their jobs, their homes, and their lives to be sent to one of ten concentration camps scattered in desolate, remote regions of the country.

The day is significant today because there are forces in the US that is attempting to repeat history, using EO 9066 as the precedent for incarcerating other ethnic minorities.

"It is not enough for today to be a Day of Remembrance. It must be a day that we say no more to separating families and imprisoning children, no more spreading lies about immigrants, no more targeting of people because of where they come from or what religion they follow, and no more using the census as a weapon," says the JACL statement.

Undocumented immigrants and refugees are already being placed in detention centers.

The Trump administration is trying to enforce a ban on Muslims traveling to this country and there is a real fear that people originally from Muslim-dominated countries could be rounded up and placed in camps.

The Japanese American Civic League, which in recent years has become more active in raising its voice against actions against ethnic minorities, issued this statement about Feb. 19, a significant date for the Japanese American community. 

The JACL statement reads:

On this 77th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, we do more than just remember the Presidential order that enabled the incarceration of nearly 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans.

We remember the racism and xenophobia against Japanese and other Asian communities that led up to the issuance of Executive Order 9066.

We remember how our government lied about the national security threat that we imposed, simply because of our Japanese heritage.

We remember how our community leaders were targeted by the FBI because of the groups they were in, members of Buddhist and Shinto churches, martial arts instructors, Japanese language school teachers, and many others.

We remember how the census was used against us to identify who was Japanese and needed to be rounded up and imprisoned.

Most of all, we remember the lives impacted: the dreams ended, the families torn apart, the lives destroyed.

We remember that Japanese Americans were forced to prove their allegiance to our Constitution through the dedication of military service for a country that was imprisoning their families with no guarantee of release. We remember others who showed their patriotism by choosing to defy unconstitutional orders in support of Constitutional ideals. These are choices no one should ever have to make.

We remember all these things especially because they are now repeating today.

It is not enough for today to be a Day of Remembrance. It must be a day that we say no more to separating families and imprisoning children, no more spreading lies about immigrants, no more targeting of people because of where they come from or what religion they follow, and no more using the census as a weapon.

Just over thirty years ago, we as a country formally recognized the wrongs we had done and offered an apology to those incarcerated during the war. We should not have to make another apology for what we do now. We can correct ourselves, we can do better.

Feb. 19 shouldn't be observed only by Japanese Americans. EO9066 is a dark chapter in American history, but it is American history, nonetheless. It is a chapter that needs to taught in schools and remembered by all Americans so we can resist it and fight the hysteria behind it.

As the Japanese Americans who were imprisoned in WWII grow older and fade away, we can't forget the normal everyday Americans who imprisoned them were their neighbors who thought the actions were well-meaning. It is human nature and too easy for people to forget other peoples' rights when they act out of fear.

Witness Charlottesville. See the men with their automatic rifles take over national parks and government buildings. Watch the self-appointed vigilantes patrol the border.  Listen to the chants of "Lock her up." It doesn't take much to turn ordinary people into uncaring thugs.

For a listing of some of Day of Remembrance events scheduled around the country, please refer to the JACL website at https://jacl.org/events/day-of-remembrance/

JACL issues apology to Tule Lake resisters

TULE LAKE COMMITTEE

Resisters refused to cooperate with the U.S. government while they were detained at Tule Lake.

ASAM NEWS

It's been 77 years since President Franklin D Roosevelt signed the executive order sending Japanese Americans into incarceration camps during World War II, and the healing continues.

The Japanese American Citizens League passed a resolution last month formally apologizing to Japanese Americans ostracized by their own community for refusing to join the US military and pledge their unqualified allegiance to the United States, reports Rafu Shimpo.

Those who refused to answer yes yes to the government questionaire were known as Tule Lake Resisters because the United States segregated them into a high security prison at Tule Lake.

The controversy became a major source of division in the Japanese American community, one that continues to divide it even today.

“However, the resolution, in spite of some of the face-saving language, is significant for the JACL as an organization and the community it represents. As a long-time member of the Florin Chapter of the JACL, I am hopeful now that the organization itself will be able to honestly examine its own history and bring into alignment its commitment to protect and promote civil liberties, including the right to protest injustice,” said Satsuki Ina, who was born at Tule Lake.

The resolution received support from the families of three civil rights icons in the Asian American community - Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui. They noted the men are revered today, but their challenges to the constitutionality of the incarceration were initially opposed by JACL.

It also received support from the Manzanar Committee.

“The time has come—it is actually long overdue—for the JACL to make amends and begin a community healing process by adopting the resolution, apologizing to the Tule Lake resisters and their families,” said Bruce Embrey of the Manzanar Committee, in a statement in July. More than 2,000 incarees at Manzanar were transferred to Tule Lake after answering no no to the questions.

The passage of the resolution did not come without opposition.

“Rather than continuing to claim they were ‘victims’ of JACL actions so that they can rid themselves of the shame that their pro-Japan views and activities caused themselves and family members, the pro-Japan activists need to assume the responsibility for their activities and decisions, accept the consequences of their actions, and move on,” wrote Japanese American Veterans Association President Gerald Yamada in an op-ed. “This resolution, whether the delegates to the National Convention accept or reject it, can only serve to widen the divide that has long existed in our community.”

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