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2015 SESSION
WHEREAS, throughout history, the battle for civil liberties has been championed by ordinary Americans who have had the courage to stand up and fight for their basic constitutional rights; and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth occupies a unique place in securing the rights and liberties of American citizens, having adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776, which later influenced language in the United States Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights and articulated the principle that government exists to provide for the common benefit, protection, and security of the people; and
WHEREAS, during World War II, Fred T. Korematsu refused to comply with Civilian Exclusion Order 34, based on the federal Executive Order 9066, that imposed strict curfew regulations and required 120,000 permanent residents and American citizens of Japanese descent to leave their homes to be incarcerated in American concentration camps; and
WHEREAS, Fred Korematsu was arrested and convicted, but fought his conviction because he believed it violated the basic freedoms guaranteed to him by the United States Constitution; and
WHEREAS, Fred Korematsu’s conviction was ultimately overturned in 1983; the decision influenced the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which recognized that a grave injustice was done by forced relocation and incarceration of American citizens and civilian residents because of wartime prejudice; and
WHEREAS, schools and teachers in Virginia are encouraged to observe the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution on January 30, or the days surrounding it, and conduct exercises honoring the life of Fred Korematsu and recognizing the importance of preserving civil liberties, even in times of crisis; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate January 30, in 2016 and in each succeeding year, as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution in Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Virginia Board of Education so that members of the Board may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter; and, be it
RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this day on the General Assembly’s website.