Michigan Korematsu Program 2014

Official Media Advisory from the Michigan Department of Civil Rights on Korematsu:

Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the Michigan
Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission to
Recognize Fred Korematsu
At Huron High School on January 30, 2014


Lansing—The Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC) will recognize and honor Fred Korematsu on Thursday, January 30, 2014 at 12:30 pmat Huron High School, 2727 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor.


Attendance at the event is by invitation only, however members of the news media are welcome to attend.


Japanese American Fred Korematsu is an American civil liberties icon. Born on January 30, 1919, he courageously defied the US Government’s order to report to an assembly center after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Korematsu was convicted for his refusal but appealed his case all the way to the US Supreme Court, which ruled against him in a 6-3 decision in 1944.


After World War II, Korematsu moved to Michigan. His conviction was formally vacated on November 10, 1983 by US District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel based upon information that the War Department misled the Supreme Court with false allegations of espionage and sabotage.


Fred Korematsu’s story is one of triumph over the civil wrongs committed against the Japanese American community following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Mr. Korematsu was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1998.


Michigan Department of Civil Rights Director Matt Wesaw will read a Certificate of Recognition signed by Governor Snyder at this event. A panel of speakers including MAPAAC Chair Dr. Jamie Hsu, Commissioner Roland Hwang, Mary Kamidoi, Ron Aramaki and Frances Kai-Hwa Wang will discuss the Japanese American internment experience, Korematsu v. United States, and the post-911 world.


To learn more about the Commission and the Department of Civil Rights, please visit www.michigan.gov/mdcr.

More information at http://franceskaihwawang.com.

Korematsu Day Michigan 2014

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) and the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPACC) will recognize Fred Korematsu on Thursday, January 30, 2014 at 12:30 p.m. at Huron High School, 2727 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

Japanese American Fred Korematsu is an American civil liberties icon. Born on January 30, 1919, he courageously defied the US Government’s order to report to an assembly center after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Korematsu was convicted for his refusal but appealed his case all the way to the US Supreme Court, which ruled against him in a 6 to 3 decision in 1944.

After World War II, Korematsu moved to Michigan. Mr. Korematsu’s conviction was formally vacated on November 10, 1983 by US District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel based upon information that the War Department misled the Supreme Court with false allegations of espionage and sabotage.

Fred Korematsu’s story is one of triumph and correction over the civil wrongs against the Japanese American community. Mr. Korematsu was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1998.

Michigan Department of Civil Rights Director Matt Wesaw will read the Certificate of Recognition signed by Governor Rick Snyder at this event. Speakers include Dr. Jamie Hsu, Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission Chair; Roland Hwang, founding member of American Citizens for Justice and secretary of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission; Mary Kamidoi, former internee at the Rohwer internment camp in Arkansas and officer at Japanese American Citizens League; Ron Aramaki, Redress activist and lecturer for Asian Pacific Islander American history and law at the University of Michigan; and Hao Hao, a student at Huron High School on behalf of Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, activist writer and lecturer for Asian Pacific Islander American civil rights activism and media at the University of Michigan.

All the World History and US History classes will be in attendance to hear a panel discussion about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, how Fred Korematsu and others in the Japanese American community challenged this grave injustice, and how this case continues to affect them today and in the future, especially after 9/11. The students will also watch this video documentary, "Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOGSnx2k7b8

This event is not open to the public, but is open to media with credentials.

For more information about this event, contact Roland Hwang or email miapacommission@gmail.com.

For more information about the case, check out the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education korematsuinstitute.org. More about Korematsu Day commemorations across the country at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgtAIQZUB6g

To learn more about the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, please visit www.michigan.gov/mdcr.