So it's the week before Spring Break and I thought I'd update you all about our Day of Remembrance event with George Takei.
In the days and minutes leading up to the event, we officers were working hard to make sure EVERYTHING went smoothly. Craig, Evan, and Pam put a lot of time of making sure we were prepared, so everything ran smoothly and on time. Until George Takei started his speech, I honestly had no idea what to expect.Our wonderful advisor, Velina Hasu Houston, helped us out that day by introducing Day of Remembrance and George Takei. George Takei started his speech talking about his experience with the internment camps. Because I had heard the stories from the volunteers and JANM and from documentaries, his story about how camp, at Tule Lake, was an enjoyable time to him because a young boy and didn't understand what was going on was no surprise to me. What did surprise me was that the hardest part about the whole internment experience for him was coming back to his home town Los Angeles. Once leaving the camps, George Takei talked about the prejudices he faced in school and in the community. I had known that settling back into the community was difficult for the internees, but it was only in that moment did that really hit me. I also had an "ah-ha" moment when George Takei spoke to to all of us about how America is a work-in-progress
country. The Japanese interment was the result of American prejudice, and it made me think about the prejudices that still exist in this country today. His speech really inspired me to really look hard at the assumptions I make about a person based on race no matter how small or in consequential they may seem.George Takei then graciously answered questions from the audience, stood for pictures and signed autographs for everyone who waited! And it was a looong line of people!
I really enjoyed the event and want to congratulate Craig, Evan, and Pam on a job well done. And a special thanks to George Takei for coming out to speak to us, Velina for introducing our guest speaker and moderating the Q&A, and to our driver Mika!
Be sure to check back for Mario's entry about the Manzanar Retreat!
Take care everyone! - Penny
