Fred Korematsu
| Fred Korematsu | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 30, 1919 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Died | March 30, 2005 (aged 86) Marin County, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Respiratory failure |
| Resting place |
Mountain View Cemetery 37°50′06″N 122°14′12″W / 37.83500°N 122.23667°W |
| Monuments | • Fred T. Korematsu Elementary School in Davis • Fred T. Korematsu Campus of San Leandro High School • Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy in Oakland • Fred T. Korematsu Middle School in El Cerrito, CA |
| Residence | • Topaz War Relocation Center • Salt Lake City, Utah • Detroit, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Castlemont High School (Oakland, California) |
| Spouse(s) | Kathryn Pearson Korematsu |
| Children | Karen Korematsu and Ken Korematsu |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom |
| Website | korematsuinstitute |
Fred Toyosaburo Korematsu (是松 豊三郎 Korematsu Toyosaburō?, January 30, 1919 – March 30, 2005) was an American civil rights activist who objected to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Shortly after the Imperial Japanese Navy launched its attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which authorized the removal of individuals of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast from their homes and their mandatory imprisonment in internment camps, but Korematsu instead challenged the orders and became a fugitive.
The legality of the internment order was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in Korematsu v. United States; this ruling has never been explicitly overturned. Korematsu's conviction for evading internment was overturned decades later after the disclosure of new evidence challenging the necessity of the internment, evidence which had been withheld from the courts by the U.S. government during the war.
To commemorate his journey as a civil rights activist posthumously, "Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution" was observed for the first time on his 92nd birthday, January 30, 2011, by the state of California, the first such commemoration for an Asian American in the United States. In 2015, Virginia passed legislation to make it the second state and first commonwealth to permanently recognize each January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day.
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