ATLANTA — The Georgia Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Task Force will commemorate Fred Korematsu Day together with its 2014 AAPI Legislative Day at the State Capitol on Thursday, Jan. 30, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Jan. 30 is the birthday of Fred Korematsu (1919-2005), who challenged the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Fred Korematsu Day has been officially recognized in California, Hawaii and Utah.
The task force expects more than 150 participants from across the state to convene in Atlanta hoping to raise the visibility of AAPIs in Georgia, educate AAPI communities about the importance of civic participation especially at the state level, and to dialogue and develop relationships with members of the Georgia General Assembly.
The task force will offer advocacy training, opportunities to meet with legislators, group photo opportunities with elected officials, breakfast at the Capitol, and a luncheon at the Sloppy Floyd Building with government speakers.
The event will also commemorate Korematsu with the introduction of a resolution by state Rep. Byung J. “BJay” Pak declaring Jan. 30, 2014, as Georgia’s inaugural Fred Korematsu Day.
San Francisco-based attorney Dale Minami, a member of the Korematsu coram nobis legal team, will provide the luncheon address. In the 1980s, the legal team reopened Korematsu’s unsuccessful Supreme Court case and cleared his name.
For more information, visit www.aapilegislativeday-ga.com or www.korematsuinstitute.org.