One person can make a difference, even if it takes forty years.
Fred KorematsuRead
As long as my record stands in federal court, any American citizen can be held in prison or concentration camps without a trial or a hearing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the potential for injustice within the legal system, suggesting that anyone can be wrongfully detained without due process.
Fred Korematsu's quote underscores a critical issue regarding civil liberties and the rule of law. He reflects on his own experience during World War II when Japanese Americans were unjustly imprisoned in internment camps, emphasizing that the legacy of such actions remains a warning sign that any citizen can face similar violations of their rights without proper legal safeguards. This message serves as a reminder of the need to protect democracy and ensure that justice is upheld for everyone.
Themes
Civil RightsJusticeDue ProcessFreedomInjustice
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for civil rights reforms.
More from Fred Korematsu
All quotes βI lost everything when they put us in prison. I was an enemy alien, a man without a country.
Fred KorematsuRead
All of them turned their backs on me at that time because they thought I was a troublemaker.
Fred KorematsuRead
Every day in school, we said the pledge to the flag, 'with liberty and justice for all,' and I believed all that.
Fred KorematsuRead
I'm Asian, so they assumed I'm not an American and that I come from Japan. Restaurants would refuse to serve me, and places would refuse to give you a haircut.
Fred KorematsuRead
My folks were so worried about what they were going to do. All they can take was what they could carry with their hands. What they had for twenty-five years of building their business was going to go out the door, or they're going to lose it.
Fred KorematsuRead
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