Japanese Americans gathered on the evening of Aug. 9 in San Francisco Japantown’s Peace Plaza to convey their solidarity against the continued attacks the Trump administration orchestrates against minorities in the United States. Hundreds of activists, both young and old, withstood the chilly evening to hear first-hand experiences of immigrants and the voices of veteran […]
4th Circuit Appeals Court blocks travel ban
June 8, 2017 by Leave a Comment
A federal appeals court in Virginia upheld a lower court order May 25 blocking President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting entry to the U.S. from six predominantly Muslim countries. A 13-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled by a 10-3 vote that the ban is unconstitutional because it targets Muslims on […]
U.S. appeals court hears arguments on revised travel ban
May 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Lawyers for the U.S. Justice Department and the state of Hawai’i argued before a federal appeals court May 15 about whether the panel should consider President Trump’s campaign comments when deciding on the constitutionality of his revised travel ban. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard the arguments in Seattle […]
Japanese Americans speak up for Muslim Americans
March 30, 2017 by Leave a Comment
SAN JOSE, Calif. — “A monetary sum and words alone cannot restore lost years or erase painful memories. Neither can they fully convey our nation’s resolve to rectify injustice and to uphold the rights of individuals.†Tom Oshidari, co-president of the Japanese American Citizens League, San Jose chapter, was reading from the letter he had […]
Films of Remembrance presents intergenerational stories of incarceration
March 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The Nichi Bei Foundation presented its sixth annual Films of Remembrance program Feb. 25 at the New People Cinema in San Francisco’s Japantown. The one-day film showcase focused on the mass incarceration of people of Japanese descent during World War II, most of whom were American citizens. “This year’s Films of Remembrance had a record […]
Civil rights groups, state officials question revised travel ban
March 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment
President Donald Trump signed a revised and scaled-down travel ban March 6 aimed at allaying the constitutional concerns of a federal appeals court in San Francisco. But several civil rights groups and elected Democratic officials said they continue to have concerns about the ban, which bars visitors from six predominantly Muslim countries, and suggested that […]
Takei slams ‘Muslim ban’ on anniversary of incarceration
March 2, 2017 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — Actor George Takei criticized Feb. 17 President Donald Trump’s executive order that had banned the entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries ahead of the 75th anniversary of the executive order that forced Japanese Americans into concentration camps in World War II. “We know that this executive order was the same kind […]
California officials praise ruling as Trump vows to appeal
February 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment
A federal appeals court in San Francisco declined Feb. 9 to reinstate President Donald Trump’s Jan. 27 ban on travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned down the Trump administration’s bid for an emergency stay of Feb. 3 order by a federal trial judge […]
Korematsu Day tackles mass incarceration across communities
February 2, 2017 by Leave a Comment
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Fred T. Korematsu Institute held its seventh annual Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution program Jan. 29 at the Paramount Theatre. The program, entitled “Mass Incarceration Across Communities: What’s Next?,†commemorated the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066. Korematsu defied military orders — that incarcerated some 120,000 people […]
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Korematsu overruled or reaffirmed?
On June 26, 2018, by a 5-4 majority, the Supreme Court in Trump v. Hawaii upheld President Donald Trump’s so-called “Travel Ban,†the thrice-revised executive orders barring entry of people from Muslim-majority nations. When Trump announced his first order in January 2017, travelers having nothing to do with terrorism were detained, U.S. residents were stranded […]