Korematsu's Legacy
"In the long history of our country's constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls: Plessy, Brown, Parks...to that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu."
President Bill Clinton, prior to awarding Fred Korematsu the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
President Bill Clinton, prior to awarding Fred Korematsu the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
President Clinton, Of Civil Wrongs and Rights, The Fred Korematsu Story DVD
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1998, Korematsu receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Bill Clinton.
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"It's that kind of person---ordinary people who do extraordinary things that really shape our history."
Professor Peter Irons, Of Civil Wrongs and Rights, The Fred Korematsu Story DVD
Professor Peter Irons, Of Civil Wrongs and Rights, The Fred Korematsu Story DVD
Professor Peter Irons, Of Civil Wrongs and Rights, The Fred Korematsu Story DVD
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"Fred reminded me very much of somebody else and that's Rosa Parks, the woman who refused to sit in the back of the bus in Birmingham, Alabama and it's ordinary people like that just making a stand and it's usually something very simple like going to work. Fred wanted to stay in his home, that's all he wanted to do and it's the right that every American has. But it's that kind of person---ordinary people who do extraordinary things that really shape our history."
- Professor Peter Irons, Emeritus Professor of Political Sciences at UC San Diego, political activist, civil rights attorney, legal scholar |
“...full vindication for the Japanese Americans will arrive only when we learn that, even in times of crisis; we must guard against prejudice and keep uppermost our commitment to law and justice.” Fred Korematsu, amicus brief for Donald Rumsfeld v. Jose Padilla
After the Sept. 11 attacks, Korematsu spoke out, reminding the nation of the dangers of racial profiling, drawing parallels between the 1940s profiling of Japanese-Americans and the stereotyping of citizens of Arabic descent. He filed two amicus briefs to the Supreme Court in 2003 and 2004. In the brief, he warned that the government’s extreme national security measures were reminiscent of the past. Amicus brief: Shafiq Rasul, v. George W. Bush and Khaled A.F. Al Odah v. United States of America
Amicus brief: Donald Rumsfeld v. Jose Padilla |