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Coalition urges Massachusetts to designate Jan. 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution
Summary
Legislative backers and civil‑rights groups told the Joint Committee that establishing a permanent Fred Korematsu Day would promote civic education about the wartime internment of Japanese Americans and defense of constitutional rights.
Members of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight heard strong bipartisan testimony supporting legislation (H.3427 / S.2132) to designate January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution.
Witnesses included family members of Fred Korematsu, representatives of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, civil‑rights groups and Asian American community organizations. They described Korematsu’s refusal to comply with Executive Order 9066 during World War II, his Supreme Court appeal in Korematsu v. United States (1944), and the subsequent vacatur of his conviction in 1983 after evidence showed government suppression of material in the original case. Danielle Kim of the Asian Community Fund and Jeffrey C. of the Korematsu Institute urged the committee that a state day would create recurring educational opportunities about constitutional protections and the risks of government actions taken in the name of national security.
Fred Korematsu’s daughter, Dr. Karen Korematsu, testified remotely and asked that the Commonwealth support a permanent day to ensure teachers and students have curricular resources to learn the story of wartime incarceration and later legal redress. Supporters pointed to existing educational materials and traveling exhibits produced by the Korematsu Institute and said designation would not require new curriculum spending but would highlight civic lessons.
Senator Jamie Eldridge, a co-sponsor of the bill in the Senate, described Korematsu’s case and framed the bill as a tool for civic education about civil liberties, due process and the limits of executive power. Proponents included the New England chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League and the Asian Community Fund, which said the designation would acknowledge Asian Americans’ contributions while providing a statewide mechanism to teach the history of mass exclusion and the importance of constitutional protections.
No formal action was taken at the hearing; committee members requested written testimony to remain part of the record.
