JACL DC

On May 28, President Barack Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Gordon Hirabayashi, who defied Executive Order 9066 during World War II and took his case to the Supreme Court. “This country is better off because of citizens like him who are willing to stand up,” noted the President in his speech. JACL Executive Director Floyd Mori, who was present at the White House event, offers his thanks to President Obama “for this honor to Gordon, which is an opportunity to tell the story of innocent Americans of Japanese descent during World War II when the constitution did not protect them and preserve their rights.”