Labor and Economic Opportunity
Fred T. Korematsu honored as Asian American Civil Rights pioneer
January 29, 2021
The Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC) and Michigan Civil Right Commission (MCRC) join Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in recognizing Fred T. Korematsu for his contributions to civil rights and his dedication to justice and equality by proclaiming January 30, 2021 as Fred Korematsu Day.
On January 30, 1919, Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland, California, to Japanese immigrants. In 1942, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States Army issued a curfew order against Americans of Japanese descent on the West Coast, who were considered to pose a threat to national security. At the young age of 23, Korematsu refused to abide by the government’s order. He was convicted of violating the order but appealed his case, taking it to the Supreme Court. On December 18, 1944, in
December 21, 2020
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has appointed 4 local residents to state boards and commissions.
Cristian LaBar, of Howell, was, this past week, appointed by Governor Whitmer to the Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists. The Board works with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) to promote rules for licensing and ascertaining minimal entry level competency for occupational therapists and therapy assistants. LaBar is an occupational therapist with the Livingston Educational Service Agency Early On program.
Also from Howell, Katheryn Mazzara was named to the Michigan Board of Licensed Midwifery. A retired senior midwife and certified professional midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives, Mazzara will work with LARA to establish and implement the licensure program for the practice of midwifery in Michigan.
Farhana Quayoum is, like most, struggling to adjust to life in the COVID-19 crisis.
Pictured here, Farhana Quayoum with two of her kids and other children at the Islamic Organization of North America in Warren, before Michigan’s stay-home order was issued.
While her day-to-day schedule hasn t changed much she homeschools her oldest and has three other kids four and under her concerns about everyday life have shifted. Her sister, a registered nurse, is working on the frontlines of the public health crisis, and she has elderly parents with underlying health conditions.
The second-generation Bangladeshi-American and former school teacher is trying to stay as informed as possible on how to protect her family.