Legislation establishing Fred Korematsu Day was first signed into law by New York City in 2008 and then-governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, on September 23, 2010.[1][2] The legislation passed unanimously in both the Assembly and Senate.[3]
It was first officially commemorated in 2011 at the University of California, Berkeley.[4] Educational materials were also distributed to school teachers for classroom use.[5]
In January 2023, the fight for a national Fred Korematsu Day continued with a resolution to establish a national Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution introduced in the United States Congress led by Representatives Mark Takano and Jill Tokuda in the U.S. House and Senators Mazie Hirono and Tammy Duckworth in the Senate.[8] A number of additional members of Congress made statements in support.[9]
Fred Korematsu Day was also celebrated in Illinois in 2014,[14] but it isn't clear whether then-governor Pat Quinn's proclamation extended past the year. Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Utah have also submitted resolutions honoring the day, while South Carolina has submitted a bill to their legislature.[15]
Google recognized Fred Korematsu Day in 2017 with a Google Doodle by artist Sophie Diao, featuring a patriotic portrait of Korematsu wearing his Presidential Medal of Freedom, a scene of the internment camps to his back, surrounded by cherry blossoms, flowers that have come to be symbols of peace and friendship between the US and Japan.[16]
(federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic grouporsexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies
