The case of Korematsu v. United States is noted as one of the worst U.S. Supreme Court decisions in U.S. history. On December 18, 1944, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Frank Murphy issued a vehement dissent, saying that the exclusion of Japanese "falls into the ugly abyss of racism", and resembles "the abhorrent and despicable treatment of minority groups by the dictatorial tyrannies which this nation is now pledged to destroy."
To be assumed “guilty” because you “look like the enemy” is purely about racism. That is what Fred Korematsu fought against and that is what Dr. Karen Korematsu is fighting against now.
We will discuss what we need to do as a society to shift the culture and kill the viruses of the yellow peril, xenophobia, bigotry, and fight racism head on. This is about all of us!
Speaker: Dr. Karen Korematsu (Founder & Executive Director of the Fred Korematsu Institute)
Dr. Karen Korematsu is the Founder and Executive Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute and the daughter of the late civil rights icon, Fred Korematsu. She serves on the board of directors of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC and NAPABA Law Foundation and has signed on to various amicus briefs opposing violations of constitutional rights.
Chair: Dr. David Chih (Director of the UIUC Asian American Cultural Center)
Dr. David Chih is the founding director of the UIUC Asian American Cultural Center which opened in 2005. He received a PhD in counseling psychology and a BA in East Asian studies and psychology from Indiana University, an MS in psychology from Purdue University.
Presented by Yellow Peril Redux: From Coolies to Concentration Camps, Trade Wars and Coronavirus Project. Funded by Call to Action to Address Racism & Social Injustice Research Program, UIUC; Co-Sponsors: Asian American Cultural Center, Center for Advanced Study, Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies; Outreach Partner: Society of Heart's Delight
