Frank S. Emi
| Frank S. Emi | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 23, 1916 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Died |
December 1, 2010 (aged 94) West Covina, California, United States |
| Education | Los Angeles City College |
| Organization | Fair Play Committee |
| Known for | fought effort of U.S. government to draft Japanese American detainees during World War II |
Frank S. Emi (1916–2010) was a leading figure of the Fair Play Committee, an ad hoc group who protested the drafting of Japanese Americans during World War II until they were given full citizenship rights.[1]
Biography
In the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Emi was forced to abandon his successful produce market at 11th and Alvarado Streets in Los Angeles. He, along with thousands of other law-abiding Japanese Americans were ordered to reside in internment camps throughout the United States. He was assigned to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center near Ralston, Wyoming.[1]
Emi reluctantly accepted his assignment, until late in 1943, when the federal government began submitting questionnaires to internees to determine their willingness to fight for the United States. When the United States decided to reinstate the draft for Japanese American men, Emi joined six other internees to form the Fair Play Committee. The Committee encouraged internees to refuse military service until their full citizenship rights were restored. This did not sit well with the federal government and resulted in the imprisonment of 300 men from ten camps for draft evasion.[1]
The Japanese American Citizens League, the community's leading civil rights organization, was also critical of their actions. They were lobbying the federal government to allow Japanese American men to join the United States war effort. The League called for the protesters to be charged with sedition.[1]
The seven leaders of the Fair Play Committee were convicted of conspiracy to violate the Selective Service Act. Emi served 18 months at the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, despite being exempt from military service. He qualified for a deferment because he was married with children, In December 1945, a federal appeals court overturned the convictions of the leaders.[1][2]
It would not be until 2000, when the Japanese American Citizens League would reverse their stance and offer the protesters a formal apology.[1]
Frank Emi was the head instructor of the Hollywood Judo Dojo and was credited for producing several national Judo athletes. Frank Emi was promoted to 8th degree Black Belt on 2008.
Emi died on December 1, 2010.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Woo, Elaine (2010-12-09). "Frank S. Emi dies at 94; Japanese American fought effort to draft WWII internees". Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California). Retrieved 2010-12-09. "Emi and his family were relocated from L.A. to Wyoming in 1942. Two years later, when the U.S. tried to recruit internees for military service, he and six others protested. He served time in federal prison. President Truman later pardoned the resisters."
- ↑ "Conscience and the Constitution". PBS. Retrieved 2010-12-09. "As a married man with children Emi was not eligible for the draft, yet he stepped forward as a leader of the Fair Play Committee and was one of the prime forces behind the group's crossing the line from protest to open civil disobedience. He spent 18 months in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas."
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