Rep Takai Calls for Awareness, Education on Civil Rights and the Constitution Day

Press Release

Congressman Mark Takai called Civil Rights and the Constitution Day more relevant than ever, and said the observance in five states today is an important reminder of the work remaining to ensure equal rights for all.

Takai is developing a bill to make Civil Rights and the Constitution Day a nationwide annual observance. The bill calls for a day to honor those who stood for the civil liberties of Japanese Americans during World War II, and, most importantly, to promote equal treatment for all Americans.

"It's clear from events in the U.S. and abroad that we need to stay more vigilant than ever against discrimination and intimidation, and we must work continually to safeguard the equal rights of all people," Takai said.

The bill, expected to be introduced later this year, would make nationwide similar observances now enacted in five states: California, Utah, Illinois, Georgia, and Takai's home state of Hawaii. Takai was instrumental in getting Hawaii's Civil Rights and the Constitution Day adopted in 2013, during his tenure in the Hawaii State House.

A national observance would not be a federal holiday, but a day marked for education, celebration and reflection. Jan. 30 is the birthday of Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American who was arrested and convicted for resisting the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. His conviction was vacated in 1983, and he went on to become an activist and icon in civil liberties.

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