To promote the importance of educating our students on the history of civil liberties in our schools, the California State Assembly today passed AB 1775. Jointly authored by Assemblymember Marty Block (AD-78) and Assemblymember Warren Furutani (AD-55) this legislation designates January 30 of each year as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, in recognition of his life-long fight to preserve civil liberties and constitutional rights for all.
“As part of educating our students, it is important to teach them about the people whose individual actions have helped change the course of civil rights in California and the nation,” said Assemblymember Marty Block. “Fred Korematsu is one of those trailblazers. An ordinary citizen, whose fight to protect his own rights, reminds us of the importance of preserving them for all people. I am honored to coauthor this measure which commemorates his bravery in the face of persecution. His legacy is a reminder of the sacrifices that came before and will continue to be a teachable moment in classrooms for generations to come.”
Fred Korematsu was a Californian who refused to comply with Civilian Exclusion Order 34, part of the federal Executive Order 9066, which imposed strict curfew regulations and required over 100,000 Japanese Americans to leave their homes to be incarcerated in concentration camps during World War II. As a result, Korematsu was arrested and convicted in federal court, but he fought back because he believed the conviction went against basic freedoms, guaranteed to him by the U.S. Constitution. He appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1944 and they upheld his conviction.
After the war, the conviction continued to negatively affect his life, even his ability to gain employment. On April 19, 1984, Korematsu’s conviction was ultimately overturned, a decision that influenced Congress to pass the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which recognized that a grave injustice was done by the forced relocation and internment of civilian Americans because of wartime prejudice.
Current law designates a number of days as having special significance, when public schools are encouraged to observe and conduct suitable commemorative exercises, as specified. This bill encourages public schools and educational institutions to observe this day and conduct exercises remembering the life of Fred Korematsu and recognizing the importance of preserving civil liberties, even in times of real or perceived crisis.
AB 1775 now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Contact: Mike Naple @ (916) 202-0003
