Fred Korematsu

Fred Korematsu was an American civil rights activist best known for his defiance of the U.S. government's internment order during World War II. Born on January 30, 1919, in Oakland, California, Korematsu was of Japanese descent. In 1942, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government forcibly relocated and interned over 120,000 Japanese Americans, including Korematsu. Refusing to comply with the internment order, Korematsu went into hiding, which led to his arrest and a landmark case in U.S. history.

Korematsu’s case, Korematsu v. United States, went all the way to the Supreme Court in 1944, where the Court controversially upheld the internment order. However, decades later, Korematsu's conviction was overturned in 1983 after new evidence showed that the government had withheld critical information during the original trial. Fred Korematsu's persistence in challenging government policies made him a symbol of resistance against racial discrimination and injustice. In 1998, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

One of his powerful quotes is: “I think that the internment was wrong. And I would never let that happen again. Never, never, never, never." This statement encapsulates Korematsu’s lifelong commitment to civil rights and justice, emphasizing the importance of standing against racial prejudice and government overreach. Through his activism and resilience, Korematsu became a pivotal figure in American history, advocating for the rights of individuals and the need for accountability in times of crisis.