Today was for the fourth-graders. Next week is for law students and others in the UC Davis community.

The subject both times is the late Fred Korematsu and his fight against the World War II internment of people of Japanese ancestry, and his fight later in life against similar treatment of Muslims — and people mistaken for being Muslim — in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Starting this weekend, Korematsu gets his own day in California: the Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, to be observed annually on his birthday, Jan. 30, as decreed by state law (then-Gov. Schwarzenegger signed the bill last September). At UC Davis and in the city of Davis, home to Korematsu Elementary School, Korematsu Day events are scheduled before and after his official day.

• Today (Jan. 28) — This morning, two UC Davis law professors, husband and wife Anupam Chander and Madhavi Sunder, visited three fourth-grade classes at Korematsu Elementary School to read from their story, Fred Korematsu: All American Hero, which is in the form of a comic book, with illustrations by a UC Davis alumna, Angelia Loi. Learn more about the new comic book, and about the authors' connection to Fred T. Korematsu Elementary School.

• Wednesday, Feb. 2 — A Conversation with Karen Korematsu: The Korematsu Legacy. Karen, Korematsu’s daughter, is co-founder of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education. The conversation is sponsored by the Asian Pacific Amercan Law Student Association. Noon-1 p.m., 1008 King Hall. Open to the public.

• Wednesday, Feb. 23 — Reflections on Korematsu, a panel discussion featuring Dale Minami, lead attorney for Korematsu when, in 1983, he finally won his case against the federal government. The case dated back to 1944, when he was convicted of refusing a military order to report for internment. Minami and the other panelists, Dean Kevin Johnson and Professor Alan Brownstein, are expected to discuss the impact of the Korematsu case on civil rights, especially after 9/11. 5-6:30 p.m., Kalmanovitz Appellate Courtroom, 1001 King Hall, with a reception to follow. Open to the public.

The panel discussion is sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, as part of Asian Pacific Islander Week. The theme this year is “A Generation of Progress.”