I don't even know how it is to have a home. I feel like an orphan or something.

In this quote, Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American civil rights activist, expresses a profound sense of displacement and alienation. Korematsu is referring to the emotional and psychological toll he felt as a result of being forced into an internment camp during World War II, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The government’s actions, which were justified by racial prejudice and fear, left Korematsu feeling as though he had lost his sense of belonging and home, despite living in the United States.

The comparison to feeling like an orphan highlights Korematsu’s deep sense of loss and estrangement. He felt disconnected from his homeland and the country he called home, especially after being uprooted from his life and unjustly detained. The term "orphan" suggests that, just as an orphan is disconnected from family and stability, Korematsu felt severed from the sense of security and community that a home typically provides.

Korematsu’s statement reflects the emotional and cultural impact of the internment experience on Japanese Americans, who were treated as outsiders and subjected to discrimination during the war. His feelings of not knowing what it was like to have a home point to the profound psychological scars left by such institutionalized injustice, as it stripped away the sense of safety and belonging for many individuals and families.

Ultimately, Korematsu’s quote speaks to the trauma and emotional toll of forced displacement, which resonates beyond just physical relocation. His words remind us of the importance of belonging, and the devastating effects of actions driven by prejudice and fear. It is a poignant reflection on the loss of home and identity during a dark chapter in American history.