Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) joined Reps. Mark Takano (CA-39), Vince Fong (CA-20), and Celeste Maloy (UT-02) to introduce the bipartisan Fred Korematsu Congressional Gold Medal Act.
Born and raised in California, Japanese American Fred Korematsu was a civil rights hero who fought back against the incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. This bipartisan bill would award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Fred Korematsu in recognition of his contributions to civil rights, his loyalty and patriotism to the nation, and his dedication to justice and equality.
“Fred Korematsu was a hero who stayed true to his convictions despite being unjustly punished for fighting for the civil rights of fellow Japanese Americans,” said Congresswoman Kim. “While his conviction was overturned in 1983, awarding Korematsu a Congressional Gold Medal is the least we can do. I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to honor his bravery and heroism.”
“Fred Korematsu stood up for the over 125,000 Japanese Americans, including my parents, who were incarcerated under an unlawful executive order,” said Congressman Takano. “I am proud to partner with my colleagues both across the aisle and in the Senate to ensure that Fred Korematsu’s legacy is remembered for generations to come. It is only right I introduce this package on what would be Mr. Korematsu’s 106th birthday.”
“Fred Korematsu’s conviction to stand up for what was right, his faith in the Constitution, and his patriotism gave him the strength to endure and persevere through much adversity,” said Congressman Fong. “I am extremely proud to co-lead this bill to posthumously award Fred Korematsu with a Congressional Gold Medal. Korematsu’s unwavering bravery and courage continue to inspire the nation.”
“The story of Fred Korematsu, a civil rights hero in American history, has been well preserved in Utah where he was unjustly interned for several years,” said Congresswoman Maloy. “Though a reminder of one of the darker parts of our history, Fred’s life teaches us that our liberties can easily be taken away, and it’s up to each generation to fight to protect them. It is only fitting that he receives the highest honor Congress can bestow.”
Fred Korematsu Background:
Fred Korematsu is a civil rights hero who fought against the wrongful incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.
In 1942, Civilian Exclusion Order 34 was issued and ordered all people of Japanese ancestry be removed from their homes in states along the West Coast and relocated to remote incarceration camps. Korematsu knew the government had violated the civil rights of thousands of its citizens and refused to comply. He was subsequently convicted for disobeying the government’s orders and spent over two years in prisons and incarceration sites. Korematsu appealed his conviction, and his case went all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1944, the court upheld his conviction 6-3 with Justice Frank Murphy authoring a dissenting opinion that called the Civilian Exclusion Order the “legalization of racism.”
Nealy 40 years later, after discovering that the federal government intentionally misled the Supreme Court and suppressed findings that Japanese Americans were not security threats, Fred Korematsu’s conviction was overturned in 1983. The overturning of Korematsu’s conviction inspired Congress to pass the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which provided restitution for wrongfully incarcerated Japanese Americans. When signing the bill into law, President Reagan stated: “[H]ere we admit a wrong; here we reaffirm our commitment as a nation to equal justice under the law.”
