3 volumes regarding bravery by individuals in the face of government injustice
Fred Korematsu Speaks Up
by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi; illustrations by Yutaka Houlette
©2017 Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi & Yutaka Houlette
102 pages, hard cover 9.5” H x 7.25” W
Published by Hey Day Books, Berkeley, CA
www.heydaybooks.com
Assessed by Michael Leppert
Fred Korematsu was a Japanese-American young man, who was part of the Japanese-American population arrested without due process and forced to move into internment camps after the Japanese Empire’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 because of an Executive Order by President Roosevelt, giving the military the freedom to act lawlessly. The Japanese-Americans were targeted because one military official convincingly lied about the danger of their being spies for Japan, without a shred of evidence.
These American citizens were forced from homes and businesses they had built for decades. Some of them were fortunate enough to find people to look after their property, not knowing how long before they could return. Some returned to nothing. They were dispersed to internment camps far from their home towns and even their home states. Fred Korematsu’s family was forced to report to a camp. Fred refused to do so – not openly, but quietly. He tells people he is Hawaiian-Spanish and fools many. Then in May, 1942, Fred is arrested, walking down the street and imprisoned. A few weeks later, an ACLU attorney visits him and offers to help Fred to fight the case against him, and all other Japanese Americans. He warns Fred of the tough fight ahead, but Fred decides to do it. The struggle takes many years, wending its way through the court system up to the US Supreme Court.
You have to read this captivating book to find out the happy end result of Fred’s courage and determination. Possibly, we will watch the people whose rights have been violated by the DHS and ICE, fight against these rogue government agencies and their leaders. Hopefully, it will conclude in a happy ending where possible.
