Dedrick’s Civil Rights Legacy
September 17, 2004
Justice for New Americans is launching a memorial fund for Dr. Kent Dedrick that will be used to finance civil rights cases like that of Wen Ho Lee. Dedrick played a key but behind-the-scenes role in eventually vindicating the Los Alamos scientist from the federal government’s charges of espionage.
Organizer Cecilia Chang, president of the group, said Dedrick was the first non-Chinese person to join a small group defending Lee. Dedrick was also a physicist and provided research and offered advice on organizing and raising money. Additionally, he was a well-known environmentalist who helped preserve the San Francisco Bay as a public trust.
The inaugural fundraiser featured a performance by Korean American composer Bryant Kong of his newly released CD, The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld. Also honored were Professor L. Ling-chi Wang of UC Berkeley and Bill Sullivan, a retired professor from New Mexico.
“I remember the joy of his release on Sept. 13, 1999, and the gracious apology he received from Judge Parker,” Sullivan recalled. “However I am concerned that as time passes, this fight we fought will become forgotten.”
Added Wang: “I’m fearful that a new type of fascism that we haven’t seen before is starting to take place. This war against terror, which is meant to defend our freedom, is now turning into a process in which it is used to assault our civil rights.”
Chang stated: “By remembering Wen Ho Lee’s release, the government dares not ever again take advantage of people of color and different backgrounds.”
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