Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Celeste Maloy joined Representatives Mark Takano (CA-39), Vince Fong (CA-20), and Young Kim (CA-40) in introducing The Fred Korematsu Congressional Gold Medal Act to posthumously award Fred Korematsu with the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his contributions to civil rights, his loyalty and patriotism to the nation, and his dedication to justice and equality.

“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. 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,” said Rep. Maloy.

“Fred Korematsu stood up for the over 125,000 Japanese Americans, including my parents, who were incarcerated under an unlawful executive order,” said Rep. 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 Rep. 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.”

“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 Rep. Young 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.”

This is the first time the Fred Korematsu Congressional Gold Medal Act has been introduced with bipartisan support.

Additional quotes of support:

“Fred was one of the few Japanese Americans with the courage to challenge the most powerful nation in the world.  Along with Gordon Hirabayashi, Min Yasui and Mitsuye Endo, Fred exemplified the strength to stand up and speak out against an injustice at a great cost to his reputation, health, employment prospects, and ostracism. Fred not only stood up to fight the Military Orders in 1943 but returned 40 years later to fight again to retry history, regain the lost dignity of an entire marginalized ethnic group and impair the credibility of one of the most infamous cases in American jurisprudence. I was his Lead Counsel on a brilliant team which was able to overturn his 1944 conviction.  His victory provided strong support for the granting of Redress to Japanese Americans in 1988, for their financial losses, hardships and especially their humiliation. As such, Fred provided not only an example of the proposition that dissent is not the enemy of patriotism; in fact, dissent can be the highest form.  He is an example of how one person’s courage could correct an historical wrong and lead to a stronger nation,” said Dale Minami, former Lead Counsel to Fred Korematsu.

“Fred Toyosaburo Korematsu was one of my heroes. He was an ordinary citizen who courageously stood up as a loyal American against racial discrimination by challenging the military orders in the which unjustly incarcerated 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry during World War II resulting in a grave injustice. He took his fight to the United States Supreme Court despite facing criticism, derision and ostracism.  I knew him as unassuming, gracious and kind, which only underscores the powerful stance he took. I’m so proud that we have honored Fred here in Utah in multiple ways and that his legacy and his simple but profound words to “Speak Up” have, and will continue, to resonate from generation to generation,” said Jani Iwamoto, former Utah State Senator.

About Fred Korematsu

Fred Korematsu was a civil rights leader who fought against the wrongful internment 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 internment 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. In September 1942, Fred Korematsu and his family were transferred to an internment camp in Topaz, Utah. Korematsu’s application to indefinitely leave Topaz was approved in January 1944.

Korematsu continued to appeal his conviction until it made its way to the Supreme Court. In 1944, the court upheld his conviction 6-3 blindly accepting the military’s claim of military necessity without any admissible proof of the danger Japanese Americans presented. In fact, proof that Japanese Americans were not a threat, had not committed any acts of espionage or sabotage and could have been afforded hearings was deliberately suppressed, destroyed and in one case, altered, to support the government’s case. Justice Frank Murphy authored 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.”