Learn about Civil Rights Champion Fred Korematsu and His Fight for Justice at the Seventh Annual Commemoration

This month, America celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a day when we honor our most famous civil rights leader, remember the struggles that he and others faced, and reflect upon the state of racism and civil liberties today. But Dr. King is not the only civil rights hero we should all be saluting this month. January 30 is Fred Korematsu Day, a day to honor a Bay Area native and national icon who challenged the federal government for the illegal incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, advocated for reparations for Japanese American internees, and fought for the civil rights of all Americans throughout his life. 

But how much do you really know about Fred Korematsu and his impact on American democracy? Where do Japanese Americans stand in current discussions of civil rights in an era of anti-Asian hate crimes, Black Lives Matter protests, and reactionary legislation against critical race theory? How does Korematsu’s legacy affect Muslim Americans, immigrants from Latin America, and other people of color?

Join us this Sunday, January 30 at 11:30am for a virtual community event, Seventh Annual Commemoration of Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution. Once again, the Japanese American Museum of San Jose is an official organizer of the event, along with The Superior Court of California, The Fred T. Korematsu Institute, Asian Law Alliance, Council on American-Islamic Relations - San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA), Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley, and Santa Clara University School of Law.

This year’s event will kick off with the presentation of vintage, World War II-era flags autographed by Japanese American incarceration camp survivors from across the nation.  Judge Johnny Gogo of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, who spearheaded the 48-Star Flag-Signing Project, will present a flag each to Dr. Karen Korematsu, founder and executive director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute and daughter of Fred Korematsu, and to the Japanese American Museum of San Jose, where it will be on display.

At 12:00 noon, the event will feature a panel discussion, “Building Resilience in the Fight for Racial Justice: Learning from the Past to Build a Better Future.” Panelists will include Zahra Billoo, executive director of CAIR-SFBA, Judge Johnny Gogo and Dr. Karen Korematsu.

To join the virtual event, please register here.

Attorneys attending the event can receive one hour of Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credit, provided by the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley.

Streets in San Jose named after Japanese American civil rights leaders Fred Korematsu and Gordon Hirabayashi.

FAQs

Where can I learn more about Fred Korematsu?

Here are some resources:

• Read his bio or request an educational toolkit on the Fred T. Korematsu Institute website

• Watch video: Fred Korematsu: A Civil Rights Hero

• Access education resources on the U.S. Courts website

Where is Fred Korematsu Day observed?

Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution is observed every year in California, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia, and New York City. Several other states have also recognized Fred Korematsu Day by proclamation.

What was Fred Korematsu convicted of?

In 1942, Korematsu was convicted of defying military orders for Japanese Americans to report to relocation centers for incarceration.

Where were Fred Korematsu and his family incarcerated?

They were sent to the Central Utah War Relocation Center, also known as the Topaz Relocation Center, where they lived in a converted horse stall.

Why did the United States Supreme Court uphold Korematsu’s conviction in 1944?

During his incarceration, Korematsu fought his conviction, eventually leading to the federal case, Korematsu v. United States. On December 18, 1944, a divided court ruled that the incarceration of Japanese Americans was lawful due to “imminent danger to public safety.”

How was Korematsu’s conviction overturned?

Korematsu’s conviction was overturned in 1983 after legal historian Professor Peter Irons and researcher Aiko Herzig Yoshinaga discovered that in 1944, the government’s legal team willfully withheld F.B.I. reports from the Supreme Court and even attempted to destroy some of these documents that showed that Japanese Americans committed no acts of treason and posed no threat to the country, making mass incarceration unjustified. A pro bono team that included the Asian Law Caucus re-opened the Korematsu case on the basis of government misconduct, and his conviction was overturned on November 10, 1983.

What honors and awards did Fred Korematsu receive?

Some of the many honors and awards that Fred Korematsu received include the Presidential Medal of Honor, the California Senate Medal, Rainbow PUSH Coalition Trailblazer Award, Pearstein Civil Rights Award, Chief Justice Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award, National ACLU Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty Award, and honorary doctorates from City University of New York Law School, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, California State University East Bay, and the University of San Francisco. 

For more information, see the Fred T. Korematsu Institute website.

Where did Fred Korematsu live in the Bay Area?

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland and lived many years in San Leandro, where a high school campus is named after him.

The Importance of Japanese American Traditions

By  Susan NakamuraOne of the goals of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) is to preserve the unique history of our ancestors for future generations and to share their accomplishments and hardships with others. Japanese Americans can trace their roots to Japan. But their immigration to America, farming experience, and incarceration during World War II have combined to create Japanese American identity and culture.As a young girl, I recall my mother pointing out my grandfather as an example of gaman: persevering through difficult times with hard work and without complaining. Through his example I should learn these virtues. Because my grandfather was born in Oahu, Hawaii, at that time a U.S. territory, he was a dual citizen of the United States and Japan. The family came stateside in 1906, the year of the San Francisco earthquake. They were forced to move every four years because the California Alien Land Law of 1913 prohibited Japanese from owning land or possessing leases for more than three years.My grandmother was a picture bride from Kumamoto, a province on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Initially, my grandmother and her father were reluctant to have her travel to a ‘foreign’ country and unknown land. Her father later changed his mind. He told my grandmother that if she went to America and married my grandfather, they would   return to Japan in three years. As it turned out, they never returned to Japan.My Grandmother Kajiu changed her name to Yoso, because Kajiu was also the name of my grandfather’s mother. And two Kajius in America would be too confusing. She took the name Yoso, her older sister’s name, who died earlier from a brain hemorrhage after working in the rice fields.According to papers, my grandparents were married in 1919, but my grandmother did not make her journey to America until 1920. She sailed out of the port of Nagasaki on the SS Persia Maru, the last ship for picture brides from Japan.   The journey to California took 27 days, with a stop in Hawaii to let off other picture brides.Like many Japanese immigrants in Santa Clara valley, they worked as farmers. They grew strawberries and vegetables in Sunnyvale, San Jose, and Campbell while they raised their growing family. In about 1940, the family of seven children moved back to Campbell, where they lived in a tar-paper house with an outdoor furo (bath) and latrine (outhouse). The location of the property was on Union Avenue, not too far from the Pruneyard shopping center, which at that time was a prune orchard.During WWII, the family was incarcerated in the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming. The family members traveled there by train with the blinds drawn down; they were not allowed to look out the window. Then they were transported in military trucks to the barracks. They saw their first snow ever, and to these Californians it was very cold.   Their barracks had a pot belly coal stove in the middle and army cots for beds. The mess hall, bathroom, and washroom were in another building. There were blizzards in the winter and thunderstorms in the summer.After the war ended in 1945, my grandparents’ family members returned to Campbell. They were fortunate that their landlord, Mr. Whipple, had watched their house and belongings. But they had to start from scratch to get on their feet and earn a living. They picked prunes, prunes, and more prunes, because it was a family job, one in which everyone worked together. Later they became sharecroppers, growing strawberries with other white farmers.Growing up in Santa Clara Valley, our extended family traditions included mochitsuki, obon, and hinamatsuri. It is amazing that these traditions could survive through all the hardships of life in America.At JAMsj, these traditions are being carried forward so that future generations and the community can learn about their roots or the roots of their friends. Strong personal virtues and a sense of one’s roots can help develop your own identity and define who you are. And that is why we at JAMsj feel it is important to have programs and events to celebrate, commemorate, and uphold these traditions.For more information about internment camps and to view a replica of a camp barrack, visit JAMsj at 535 North Fifth Street in San Jose. Completely run and operated by community volunteers, JAMsj is open from Thursday through Sunday, 12 noon to 4 p.m. The admission fee is $5 for adults; $3 for seniors and students; and free to members, children under 12, and active military. We would love to see you.Please join JAMsj on March 1 for our annual hinamatsuri festivities. Children and their parents will be able to create items with paper, glue, and other crafting supplies. Hinamatsuri activities are fun, social, and open to the public. Adult helpers will be on hand to supervise these fun art activities.(I credit my aunt, June Takata, who was the unofficial family historian, for the many details included here. I also picked prunes.)

The Story of the 120,000 Tassel Tapestry

Leila Kubesh,  the teacher who inspired her 8th grade students to create the 120,000 Tassel Tapestry, will be coming to JAMsj on June 23, 2012 to talk about her project.The Story of the 120,000 Tassel Tapestry   By Leila Kubesch and Steve FugitaThe amazing story of the 120,000 Tassel Tapestry began in Indiana, where foreign language teacher Leila Kubesch taught French, Spanish, and Japanese to 8^th graders at Sunnyside and Tecumseh Middle Schools. As part of her responsibilities, Leila directed the foreign language club. Each year this club took on special interest projects.  The project that holds a special interest to JAMsj was the creation of a grand quilt commemorating the Japanese Americans who were incarcerated in concentration camps during WWII.Initially, Leila started teaching the history of Americans of Japanese Ancestry (AJAs) to encourage students to stop mocking Asians. She began by reading books such as The Bracelet and Hero. A few students were puzzled and asked, “Is this true?”  They had never heard anything about Japanese American history before.The students decided to turn the school courtyard into a Japanese Zen garden to honor the 100^th Battalion and 442^nd Regimental Combat Team. The next year, the second class added a large pond. In 2000, when the students learned about other military units like the 1800^th, the MIS, and 522^nd, they wanted them to be included, too. Their dream culminated in the building of a traveling exhibit that could be shown across America.  The exhibit would involve the making of  a very special quilt.During the first semester of the next academic year, the tapestry was started at Tecumseh Middle School. In the beginning, the students were often told, “It cannot be done.” Leila was even turned down for a grant on the grounds that the project was too ambitious. To initiate the project, the students obtained a comprehensive list of AJA veterans from military archives. Using this list, they mailed more than 3,000 letters to the veterans. Many of the recipients wrote back and even sent their historic mementos.When Leila moved to Sunnyside Middle School for the second semester, many students followed  so that they could continue working on the project. During the summer, students from both schools worked together until it was complete. This included weekends and holidays. Often, students and teacher went home past midnight. This brought the two rival schools, one well-to-do, the other inner city, closer together. Many of the students became good friends. Ultimately, 503 students from Sunnyside and Tecumseh Middle Schools worked on the quilt. When it was finished, it was proudly hung for the first time in the school gymnasium.The students named the quilt the 120,000 Tassel Tapestry to represent all of the AJAs who endured WWII injustices. It measures 19 by 41 feet, dimensions chosen to represent 1941, the  year in which Pearl Harbor was attacked. It comes in 12 panels and looks like a Japanese shop curtain called noren. Because someone told the students that the kanji for noren is similar to the word ”goodwill,”  they insisted on using the noren style. The tapestry weighs some 350 pounds.In 2008, Leila married and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she teaches English as a Second Language at Sharonville Elementary School. But her Indiana students will never forget the special projects she inspired them to take on, in particular the 120,000 Tassel Tapestry. --------------------------------------------------------------Leila will talk about the 120,000 Tassel Tapestry at 1:00 p.m on  June 23 at JAMsj. Please reserve your seat by contacting the JAMsj office (408) 294-3138 or by emailing events@jamsj.org.