Fred Korematsu Day

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The Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution is celebrated on January 30 in California to commemorate the birthday of Fred Korematsu, a Japanese-American civil rights activist (see Korematsu v. US). It is the first day in U.S. history named after an Asian American. It was signed into law by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 23, 2010.[1][2]

The day was first commemorated in 2011 at the University of California, Berkeley, as a day recognizing American civil liberties and rights under the Constitution of the United States.[3] Educational materials were also distributed to school teachers for classroom use.[4]

The states of Hawaii[5] (2013), Virginia[6] (2015), and Florida (2016) have since followed suit and passed legislative bills recognizing Fred Korematsu Day in perpetuity.

Google Doodle on January 30, 2017

Fred Korematsu Day was also celebrated in Illinois in 2014,[7] but it isn't clear whether former Gov. Pat Quinn's proclamation extended past the year. Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Utah have submitted resolutions honoring the day, and South Carolina has submitted a bill to their legislature.[8]

Google recognized Fred Korematsu Day in 2017 with a Google Doodle by artist Sophie Diao, featuring a patriotic portrait of Korematsu wearing his Presidential Medal of Freedom, a scene of the internment camps to his back, surrounded by cherry blossoms, flowers that have come to be symbols of peace and friendship between the US and Japan.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "korematsuinstitute.org". 
  2. ^ "AB 1775 Assembly Bill". 
  3. ^ Ling Woo Liu (30 January 2011). "California Marks the First Fred Korematsu Day". Time. Retrieved 11 November 2015. 
  4. ^ Kevin Fagan (29 January 2011). "Fred Korematsu Day a first for an Asian American". SF Gate. Retrieved 11 November 2015. 
  5. ^ Robbins, Jennifer (30 January 2013). "Gov. Abercrombie declares Fred Korematsu day in Hawaii". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved 2 February 2017. 
  6. ^ Kai-Hwa Wang, Frances (27 January 2016). "Virginia to Celebrate Korematsu Day for First Time". Retrieved 2 February 2017. 
  7. ^ All Things Considered (30 January 2014). "Honoring A Japanese-American Who Fought Against Internment Camps". NPR. Retrieved 11 November 2015. 
  8. ^ Grimes, Ryan (29 January 2016). "Karen Korematsu asks Michigan to honor her father's fight for civil liberties". Michigan Radio. Retrieved 2 February 2017. 
  9. ^ "Fred Korematsu's 98th Birthday". Google Doodle. Retrieved 30 January 2017. 


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