The Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education is a non-profit organization which advances pan-ethnic civil rights and human rights through education.
History Background
In 1942, Fred Korematsu was arrested for defying the government's internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II. He appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court in 1944, which ruled against him, saying the incarceration was justified due to military necessity. Four decades later, the discovery of new evidence allowed Korematsu to re-open his case with a team of pro-bono lawyers headed by legal scholar Peter H. Irons. In 1983, a federal court in San Francisco finally overturned Korematsu's conviction.Irons, Peter (1993). Justice at War. University of California Press. p. 91-93. In 1988, the United States federal government officially apologized for its discriminatory wartime actions and granted $20,000 in reparations to each surviving internee to help ensure that later injustices would never again impact another minority group. In 1998, Korematsu received from President Bill Clinton the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award."Fred Korematsu -- he defied wartime order to internment camp". SFGate. April 1, 2005.
Establishment In 2009, the Asian Law Caucus, together with Korematsu's daughter, Karen, launched the Korematsu Institute to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the removal of Korematsu's conviction."Civil rights institute named for Korematsu". SFGate. April 28, 2009. The institute's members advocated for the designation of January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution in California, and the legislature approved this in 2010. This was the first day in US history to be named after an Asian American.Liu, Ling Woo (January 30, 2011). "Fred Korematsu Day: California Honors a Civil Rights Hero"". Time. To mark the first Fred Korematsu Day on January 30, 2011,"Korematsu Day". The New York Times, February 4, 2011. the Korematsu Institute began shipping out free Korematsu teaching kits to K-12 classrooms around California"Fred Korematsu Day a first for an Asian American". SFGate. January 28, 2011. and held a commemorative event at University of California, Berkeley. Each year on Fred Korematsu Day, the organization honors Japanese Americans who have contributed to the advancement of civil rights.Yamamoto, J. K. (February 4, 2013). "A Celebration of Heroes". Rafu Shimpo.
In 2014, the Institute partnered with the San Joaquin County Office of Education to provide professional development for teachers on several civil rights topics, and was awarded a grant of $180,836.Roberts, Elizabeth (November 30, 2014). "Shining light on dark chapter of Stockton's history". RecordNet.
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