RE: Japanese internment was racism legalized by SCOTUS (signatures needed).

Friend, [sign the petition: Congress must act to prevent horrors like Japanese internment from happening again.]( [SIGN THE PETITION]( As a young man, Fred Korematsu filed a lawsuit against the United States for its forcible internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. He is a civil rights icon that too few people know about. Congress has introduced a package of bills in the House and Senate to not only honor Korematsu's bravery and commitment, but to guarantee that rounding up and imprisoning people based explicitly on race, religion, sexuality, or ideology does not happen in the U.S. again. Unfortunately Trump's Muslim ban, the far right's "grooming" panic about LGBTQ people, and the hysteria over Black history together with the mainstreaming of violent white nationalism all prove we need this protection from the federal government. We cannot afford to assume forced internment is a horror of the past. [Sign the petition: Congress must pass the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act.]( [SIGN THE PETITION]( Keep fighting, Irna Landrum, Daily Kos P.S. I sent an earlier email about Fred Korematsu. You can read it below: --------------------------------------------------------------- Friend, [sign the petition: Japanese internment was upheld by the Supreme Court. This must never happen again.]( [SIGN THE PETITION]( On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced relocation and internment of Japanese Americans. More than 120,000 Japanese Americans were detained and forcefully removed from their homes without charges or due process for years. Fred Korematsu, an American citizen of Japanese descent, who was interred with his family, [filed]( a lawsuit to fight the mass violation of civil liberties on the basis of race. The Supreme Court upheld Korematsu’s detention–and Japanese internment in 1944, with a 6-3 majority in Korematsu v. United States. The dissent by Justice Frank Murphy spoke the truth: The Court's ruling to uphold the internment of Japanese Americans was legalized racism. Korematsu’s conviction was overturned after 40 years, but the decision remains a dangerous precedent used to justify discrimination against other communities. We cannot forget, for example, Trump's proposed registry of Muslim Americans and the racist Muslim and African bans, or the prisoners unjustly held at Guantanamo Bay. [Sign the petition: We must prohibit our government from ever rounding up and imprisoning people based on a shared characteristic.]( [SIGN THE PETITION]( As a queer Black woman in 2023, I don't take for granted that mass internment is a thing of the past. Rikers Island is but one example of Black and brown people locked away for years at a time without a trial. We lock up asylum seekers indefinitely at our Southern border. State laws threaten prison for doctors who provide abortions or gender-affirming care. The systemic targeting and firing of Black teachers, librarians who refuse to pull LGBTQ material, and so much more indicate we are repeating brutal histories of internment again and again.  Congress just introduced the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act, which would forbid the detention or imprisonment of people based solely on an actual or perceived characteristic. This legislation is particularly timely given the far-right attacks on Muslims, immigrants, and LGBTQ communities, as well as history educators and librarians. Our lawmakers must act with haste not only to illuminate and commemorate Fred Korematsu's contributions to this nation but to ensure his fight was not in vain. We must act now to make sure that widescale imprisonment–especially without due process–is banned in the U.S. [Sign and send the petition to Congress: Pass the Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act.]( [SIGN THE PETITION]( Keep fighting, Irna Landrum, Daily Kos Daily Kos Relies on Readers Like You We don't have billionaire backers like some right-wing media outlets. Half our revenue comes from readers like you, meaning we literally couldn't do this work without you. Can you chip in $5 right now to help Daily Kos keep fighting? [Chip in $5]( If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.