In his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman for the USS Enterprise on the original Star Trek television and movie series, George Takei took the starship to places “where no man has gone before.”
Back in the real world on Earth, meanwhile, Takei has had to deal with imprisonment as a child, with other Japanese Americans in internment camps in the United States during World War II, and discrimination and fear as an adult because he is gay.
He has become a well-known figure in fighting for social justice, gay rights and marriage equality, facing every challenge with grace, equanimity, courage and witty humor.
Once again, he’s demonstrating those traits with the postponement of the Long Beach Reads One Book event featuring his graphic novel, “They Called Us Enemy,” at Long Beach City College. This event, which was scheduled for Thursday, March 19, was postponed because of the pandemic novel coronavirus; 500 people had RSVP’d to attend the event.
Takei told me he was disappointed at the postponement, possibly until the fall, but he “fully supported” the decision.
“The uncertainty over the coronavirus outbreak requires an abundance of caution,” he said. “Everyone must be flexible in dealing with the situation.”
Some other events involving Takei recently have either been canceled or postponed, including a nonprofit fundraiser in San Francisco and a tech conference in Mountain View in June. Several events happening later in the year, such as comic cons, remain on his calendar so far.
Takei praised Susan Redfield, chairwoman of Long Beach Reads One Book, who has been working tirelessly to bring back the popular literacy program, discontinued six years ago by the Long Beach Public Library Foundation. Redfield, in announcing the postponement, said she, too, was disappointed but said it was “the right thing to do for everyone’s health.”
Takei said he has known Redfield for decades and called her “a relentless force of nature. She is not going to be daunted by the coronavirus. She will make the rescheduled Long Beach Reads One Book program even more spectacular than the program planned for this month.”
Long Beach Reads One Book was founded in 2002 and was designed to have residents read one book each year. The program focused on encouraging literacy and bringing people together. The program brought authors such as Mitch Albom, Ray Bradbury, Isabel Allende and Garth Stein to Long Beach. The Long Beach City College Board of Governors, through its LBCC Foundation, opted to bring the program back with Redfield as chairwoman.
Ever optimistic, Redfield said the postponement of Takei’s appearance will allow organizers to reach out to more students in Long Beach area k-12 schools,City College and Cal State Long Beach to read the book. So far, teachers at six local high schools — Millikan, Poly, Camarillo, Jordan, McBride and St. Joseph’s — have received sets of the book for their classes.
Takei’s book is a firsthand account of when he and his family were uprooted from their home in Los Angeles and taken to internment, or concentration, camps during World War II because of their Japanese ancestry.
“Fear and hysteria spread across the nation against Japanese Americans just because of our looks,” Takei said.
Takei is especially pleased that his book is making its way into the hands of students. He said he used the graphic novel approach in telling his story because he thought it would reach more young people that way.
“Young people will be the voters of tomorrow,” he said. “They need to know about the history of what happened back then.”
Then he added his lighthearted touch:
“My message to friends in Long Beach and the surrounding cities is to stay healthy,” Takei said, “and for now, instead of shaking hands, use the Vulcan hand greeting from Star Trek. May we all live long and prosper.”
