George Takei, best known for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu on television’s “Star Trek,” will be at Portland State this Sunday to speak about civil rights and his own experiences of facing discrimination.
The event, called “Fighting for Civil Rights: The Japanese-American and LGBT experience,” is organized by the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) as part of the day of remembrance tradition honoring those affected by Executive Order 9066, which forced the removal and internment of over 100,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.
JACL co-President Jeff Selby said that Takei fits perfectly with the mission of the organization, which in the past has partnered with Arab-Muslim and Latino groups. This year, however, it is partnering with Portland’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
“His unique perspective is perfect for this event, as he was a child prisoner in an American concentration camp during World War II and is now a gay rights advocate,” Selby said. “I believe that for Portland JACL to remain relevant, we must continue to build coalitions with other communities to grow our collective voice about the precarious nature of American civil rights.”
Takei recently took his experience as a childhood prisoner of American concentration camps to the stage in the off-Broadway musical “Allegiance.” Takei stars opposite Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga in a story that is set against the backdrop of the so-called “internment” camps of World War II.
“Mid-February has always been a sad time for our community, and each year there are fewer and fewer of us survivors around to tell firsthand what happened,” Takei recently told Broadway World Weekly. “We want our story to be remembered.”
Kristen Kohashi, secretary of the Japanese Student Society at PSU, is a fourth generation Japanese-American whose family lives in Hawaii, where they experienced a different side of the tragedy.
“In Hawaii, a majority of the Japanese-American population were lucky enough not to be taken to internment camps because of the significant dent it would make in Hawaii’s population,” Kohashi said. “My grandparents were two of these Japanese-Americans.”
Though his family escaped the imprisonment endured by many Japanese-Americans, Kohashi’s grandfather joined the United States Artmy. Wataru Kohashi fought in the 100th Batallion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a unit composed entirely of Nisei, or second-generation Japanese-Americans born to native Japanese.
“Even though many of them had families in internment camps, they chose to fight for America to prove their pride, innocence and worth as loyal Americans,” Kohashi said. “The 100th/442nd suffered some of the most casualties in the war, and to this day remains the most highly decorated unit in United States military history.”
Wataru’s story is just one of the multitudes that characterize the grit and courage with which Japanese-Americans endured a terrible injustice, according to Kohashi.
The injustice continues to this day in the official history, which refers to Japanese-American “internment,” a term that the JACL no longer recognizes in reference to the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II, according to Takei.
This whitewashing is something that both Selby and Takei feel needs to stop if U.S. citizens are ever to move on from the injustice. The real lessons of such injustice can only be gained from the real history, Takei told Broadway World Weekly.
The event will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20 in Hoffman Hall.
Takei could not be reached for comment.