[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 39 (Thursday, April 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E572]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PASSING OF FRED T. KOREMATSU

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 6, 2005

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my fellow California 
Representatives Mike Honda, Barbara Lee, Doris Matsui, and Pete Stark, 
I rise today to pay tribute to a true champion of the civil rights 
movement, Fred Korematsu. Mr. Korematsu passed away on March 30, 2005 
at the age of 86.
  As a Japanese American facing internment during World War II, Fred 
Korematsu challenged government authorities by standing up for his 
rights as an American citizen and refusing to back down. He has earned 
a place in American history among our most determined fighters for 
justice. We will miss him greatly.
  Born in Oakland, California in 1919 to Japanese immigrants, Fred 
Korematsu's early life was similar to many other hard-working 
Americans. He held a job as a welder in the San Francisco shipyards and 
had dreams of getting married and starting a family. Two months after 
the attack on Pearl Harbor, however, his dreams were suddenly taken 
away.
  Under baseless fears of Japanese American disloyalty, Executive Order 
9066 was signed, authorizing the removal of more than 120,000 Americans 
of Japanese descent from their homes along the West Coast to guarded 
camps in the interior of the United States. It displaced families and 
uprooted entire communities.
  On May 30, 1942, Fred Korematsu was jailed for evading authorities. 
He was sent to Topaz Internment Camp in Utah for 2 years. He bravely 
filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, and took his case all the 
way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, however, unjustly 
declared that the internment of Japanese Americans was necessary in a 
time of war and that allegations of racism by the government were 
unfounded. Mr. Korematsu, though, did not give up, and, 40 years later, 
he was vindicated in a ruling by the Federal District Court in San 
Francisco.
  Mr. Korematsu's dedication to protect civil rights did not end with 
his own exoneration. His courage prompted lawmakers to right the wrongs 
committed against Japanese Americans during World War II, and in 1988, 
an official apology and reparations were issued by the government. His 
work was recognized in 1998 when President Clinton awarded him the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom. In the wake of the September 11 
terrorist attacks, Mr. Korematsu continued to fight the backlash 
against Arab, Muslim, and Middle Eastern communities, recounting his 
own struggle against discrimination.
  Today, we honor Fred Korematsu for his courage and recognize him as a 
symbol of justice, determination, and the true American spirit. His 
passing leaves the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with 
a profound sense of loss.
  I hope it is a comfort to his family and friends that so many people 
share their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.




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