JACL Joins 77 Organizations to Honor Fred Korematsu's Legacy
January 30, 2025
For Immediate Release
Seia Watanabe, VP Public Affairs, swatanabe@jacl.org
Matthew Weisbly, Education Programs/Comms Manager, mweisbly@jacl.org
On the occasion of what would have been Fred T. Korematsu’s 106th birthday, JACL joins 77 other organizations in celebrating the introduction of two bills to honor Korematsu’s legacy. Introduced this week in the House are H.R. 77, which would designate January 30th as “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” and H.R. 821 which seeks to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Fred Korematsu in recognition of his contributions to civil rights and his loyalty and patriotism to the Nation.
Among the 77 organizations supporting the recognition of Korematsu are those representing broad civil rights organizations, representatives from the Asian American community, and 21 JACL Chapters. The letter of support can be found linked here.
Fred Korematsu’s legacy is one of resistance and seeking justice. Korematsu refused to comply with the exclusion orders of the United States government which led to the incarceration of over 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry. With a full understanding of his rights as an American citizen, he took his fight to the Supreme Court, only to lose in what has now been recognized as one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice. Korematsu was vindicated by the revelatory findings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians that determined there was no credible security threat from Japanese Americans and nevertheless proceeded to incarcerate Japanese Americans based on racism and failure of leadership.
Recognizing Korematsu’s legacy permanently on this date and issuing the Congressional Gold Medal would be a fitting acknowledgment of his contributions to our nation’s understanding of what it means to be an American and the rights we must all cherish and preserve for all.
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The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational, and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.
