Fred Korematsu: All American Hero

 

Fred Korematsu: All American Hero    By Anupam Chander & Madhavi Sunder

Art by Angelia Loi                  Published in 2011         96 Pages

This GN History was written by two UC Davis Law professors in order to explain
the 40 year fight for justice that Fred Korematsu faced when he challenged the
internment of Japanese Americans.

Korematsu refused to comply with the internment order, and when he was apprehended,
he challenged the basis for the order. He was convicted, and when his case went to the
Supreme Court, the court upheld both his conviction and the legal basis for the
internment order.

It took 40 more years to get his conviction overturned and to get the government to admit
that the interment order was unjustified.

The authors frame the telling of Korematsu's story through the eyes of a young Muslim
girl who is incessantly taunted in the aftermath of 911. An elderly Japanese neighbor
comforts her by sharing the fact that similar sentiments led to her internment, and then
she tells the girl the story of how Fred Korematsu fought for the rights of all Americans.

Additionally, the art is charming. It looks like it could have been drawn by a kid, and in my
opinion, this increases the engagement for the reader.

There is an interview with the authors at the following link. Their section starts at 15:31.

http://www.capradio.org/157633

 The format of the book is small, but I have used it for an abridged read aloud.

We also have a local connection. Fred Korematsu lived in Oakland.