Proposal in Davis

A Fred Korematsu Elementary School ?

- by Andy Noguchi

Local community members are currently rallying around a history-making proposal:  Naming a public elementary school in Davis after the late Fred Korematsu, one of four including Gordon Hirabayashi, Min Yasui, and Mitsuye Endo, who challenged the World War II internment of Japanese Americans all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

On August 2nd, a group of 15 individuals gathered at a small meeting of the Naming Committee appointed by the Davis School Board to deliberate about the soon-to-be-built elementary school in the Mace Ranch area.   Surprisingly, most came in support of a Fred Korematsu school. 

Members of the Davis Asians for Racial Equality including Alice Nishi & Patty Fong, Nisei community members, an East Indian law professor, a college student, and even a Davis High School student, Jasmine Cho, all spoke out.  They shared moving stories about the injustices Nisei suffered as they were interned in WWII, the need for Asian American role models for young people today, and the importance of Fred Korematsu’s stand in 1942 as well as his effort to overturn his conviction in the 1980s.  

Speaking as a Florin JACL member, I shared some thoughts about Fred Korematsu.  The last time I saw Fred Korematsu was three years ago at the West Sacramento Sikh Temple vandalized by hate-mongers.  Fred was protesting the scapegoating of Sikh, Muslim, and Arab Americans in the frightening aftermath of 9/11.  Fred Korematsu was not only an example for people in 1942 and 1980, but also for today. We face the same challenges of intolerance today during this crisis over terrorism.

I think naming a school after Fred Korematsu would be an excellent “teaching moment” for Davis students.  This is especially so since I believe that Fred Korematsu was perhaps a “regular guy” in many ways.  As a welder in the shipyards of Oakland , with a girl friend he didn’t want to leave behind, Fred just wanted to be treated like other Americans. Isn’t that what all of us wish for?  In Fred’s case, his deep sense of justice also led him to heroic steps - challenging internment, seeking to reverse the court decision decades later, and, until his death earlier this year, standing up for other Americans being persecuted due to their ethnicity.

What better example could young students follow today?  A “regular guy” standing up for what’s right and making our country a better place to live.  Isn’t this what we would wish for our children as they become adults, good citizens, and responsible community members?

The full Davis School Board is expected to deliberate on a name for the school on Thursday, September 1st at 7:30 pm.  The location of the meeting is 526 B St. (near 5th St. ) in Davis .