Description
Book SynopsisFred Korematsu's decision to resist F.D.R.'s Executive Order 9066, which provided authority for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, was initially the case of a young man following his heart: he wanted to remain in California with his white fiancée. However, he quickly came to realize that it was more than just a personal choice; it was a matter of basic human rights. After refusing to leave for incarceration when ordered, Korematsu was eventually arrested and convicted of a federal crime before being sent to the internment camp at Topaz, Utah. He appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court, which, in one of the most infamous cases in American legal history, upheld the wartime orders. Forty years later, in the early 1980s, a team of young attorneys resurrected Korematsu's case. This time, Korematsu was victorious, and his conviction was overturned, helping to pave the way for Japanese American redress. Lorraine Bannai, who was a young attorney on that legal team
Trade Review"Excellent. . . . In Enduring Conviction, [Lorraine Bannai] skillfully weaves the story of the landmark court case with Fred’s personal journey. . . . Her elegant telling of the story of the incarceration and Fred Korematsu’s fight against it could not be more timely. . . . Hopefully, the inspiration provided by Fred Korematsu may be an even more enduring response to injustice."
-- Elaine Elinson * Los Angeles Review of Books *
"Enduring Conviction shows how politics and racial prejudice can conspire to trample the civil rights of an entire racial group during a time of war, based on fabricated claims of military necessity. . . . Bannai’s volume is a worthwhile read for those interested in learning about some of the worst events and court rulings in American history, and serves as a reminder that the constitutional rights of American citizens should also be safeguarded during times of war, and in the darkest times of American history."
-- Harvey Gee * Asian American Policy Review *
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Prologue | A San Francisco Courtroom
1. The Son of Immigrants, but All-American
2. The Call to Get Rid of the “Japs”
3. Fred’s Decision to Live Free
4. Jail Was Better than Camp
5. The Rocky, Winding Road to the Supreme Court
6. The Ugly Abyss of Racism
7. Rebuilding a Life
8. “Intentional Falsehoods”
9. “A Legal Longshot”?
10. Correcting the Record
11. A Symbol in the Continuing Search for Justice
Epilogue
Notes
Glossary
A Note on Terminology
Selected Bibliography
Index
