“Prejudice is ignorance. Education is our most powerful lesson.” - Dr. Karen Korematsu

History. Education. Advocacy. The Fred T. Korematsu Institute just celebrated 15 years of dedicated education and advocacy work! The Korematsu Institute is working towards a future where xenophobia and hate speech, lack of civics education, and racial inequity are a thing of the past.

We have distributed over 15,000 educational toolkits to teachers in all 50 states and 12 countries worldwide to share the story of the WWII Japanese American Incarceration and its impact on civil liberties, the Constitution, and what it means to be an American. Teachers need these resources. And we develop, update, and distribute these resources free of charge to teachers through the generosity of our supporters.

Dr. Korematsu travels the country speaking to everyone from kindergartners to high school students to law students, promoting civic education, civil liberties, and Constitutional rights.

Our current national traveling exhibit, "Am I An American or Am I Not?” is traveling to communities around the country. The exhibit is named after the question Fred Korematsu asked when faced with criminal charges for violating the military orders to leave his home without due process after Executive Order 9066 during WWII. He joined 125,000 other Japanese Americans at incarceration camps around the country. Our exhibit educates and asks visitors to think about our civil liberties and the Constitution.

At the Korematsu Institute, we believe words matter & education is an important tool to help defeat xenophobia and racism. We have never felt stronger and more confident in our mission to promote civic participation and education that advances racial equity, social justice, and human rights for all. The demand for our work is never-ending.

Your tax-deductible gift keeps this important work going by providing general operating support for our traveling exhibition, digital toolkits, curriculum development, and education programs across the country.

Please help us educate and advocate for a brighter future with a tax-deductible donation to the Fred T. Korematsu Institute!

Donate to Educate! Join our Community of Supporters in 2025!