We are very happy to report that the hearing for Resolution 792:
Fred T. Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, at City Hall on 10/25 went extremely well!
We are now feeling very optimistic about being able to officially celebrate Fred T. Korematsu Day on Jan 30, 2018 (his birthday) here in NYC!
The hearing was held before the NYC Council Committee on Cultural Affairs. We had an excellent mix of heartfelt and educated testimonies from both young and old, from high school students to survivors in their 80’s, as well as tremendous support from our Pan-Asian, Muslim, and LGBTQ allies. There were many poignant moments, especially from survivors Tak Furumoto and Kenji Imayanagita.
It was a great collective effort that involved many individuals and organizations who need to be thanked for their outreach and solidarity. Special thanks to Chair James Van Bramer and the Committee on Cultural Affairs for holding this hearing, and especially to NYC Council member Daniel Dromm and his staff for their hard work in first initiating sponsorship for this resolution and then getting us to this point.
And, most of all forseeing the importance and universal symbolic relevance of commemorating Fred T. Korematsu Day!
Here is the archived video video of the entire hearing: https://councilnyc.viebit.com/player.php?hash=55w7yuo6ho1a
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