Korematsu Day and Japanese American Confinement Education Act of 2022

 

During the week of MLK Day, I have the additional opportunity to reflect on race while teaching Korematsu v. US in my Constitutional Law class. Karen Korematsu's Korematsu Institute sponsors many educational programs to commemorate the infamous cases authorizing Japanese internment and the coram nobis cases overturning the underlying convictions. Among the programs is an upcoming gala event in San Francisco featuring keynote speaker Neal Katyal and honoring AAPI community leaders on January 28, 2023.

 

Nationwide, this will be the first year of the Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education Act. The Confinement Education Act will reauthorize funding for the JACS program to continue the preservation of these sites — including the Honouliuli Internment Camp in Hawai‘i. The bill will also create a new $10 million competitive grant program to educate individuals on the historical importance of Japanese American confinement during World War II, "ensuring that present and future generations learn from Japanese American confinement and the commitment of the United States to equal justice under the law." More information about the creation and signing of the bill appears here.

 

MHC