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ALLEGIANCE's George Takei's Inspiring Election Day Message

By: Nov. 03, 2015
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Now previewing on Broadway, ALLEGIANCE was inspired by the childhood memories of its star, George Takei, who was imprisoned by the United States government, along with his family, in a Japanese Internment camp during World War II.

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Today, Election Day, Takei offers on his Facebook page an inspiring essay expressing his belief that we, as a nation, will win the battle against bigotry and injustice, but that victory requires our full participation in the election process.

"My family lost everything when this nation lost its way, but that has never stopped me from believing in America's potential or from fighting for its principles. Together, we will win."

Read his entire essay below:

When I was just a boy, I asked my father how it was that this nation, founded on principles of equality and freedom, could have turned on its own citizens and put us into camps. He told me something I'll never forget. "Ours is a people's democracy. It can be as great as the people in it, or as fallible." My father taught me the importance of participating in our democracy, so that we learn from our past mistakes and always strive to achieve the promise of equality for all.

Many today seek to divide us, blaming the helpless and saying America will lose to the forces of fear and oppression. As a child, I grew up behind barbed wire fences of U.S. internment camps because of my race. Seventy years later, I stand with my white, gay spouse to assure you: We will win.

We will win the battle against bigotry and injustice. I lived through the years of Jim Crow and race lynchings, then marched for Civil Rights to help bring an end to them. Today, we note only in passing that our President is African American, and that the top contenders for his office are a woman Secretary of State and a Black neurosurgeon. We will win.

We will win the battle against inequality and hate. For decades, I kept secret my own sexuality, out of fear I would lose my acting career. Then I watched as LGBTs rose up during Stonewall, and the gay liberation movement claimed its place in a common struggle for civil rights. Through the terrible era of AIDS, we survived; today, there is marriage equality across this land. We will win.

We will win the battle against ignorance and fear. In my early years, America joined with other freedom-loving nations to defeat murderous, totalitarian dictators on two continents. Together, we can, we must, and we will defeat fundamental threats to our world, whether from religious extremism, regional conflict or climate change. We will win.

We will win when we come together as a nation, rather than divide along our perceived differences. We will win when we hold true to our core values and embrace our diversity, rather than scapegoat some. We will win when we engage, learn, and remain open to new ideas and innovations. I am 78 years old, and I am still learning and progressing at each opportunity I can.

On this Election Day, we take happily for granted what was so hard fought, and what so much of the world is yet denied. I urge you also to participate in this great democracy through your votes, your dialogue, and your love of this society. My family lost everything when this nation lost its way, but that has never stopped me from believing in America's potential or from fighting for its principles. Together, we will win.

- George Takei

Broadway's Allegiance, a new musical inspired by Takei's true-life story, opens on November 8, 2015 at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street). Previews began October 6. ALLEGIANCE features a book by Marc Acito and music and lyrics by Jay Kuo. Olivier Award nominee Stafford Arima(London's Ragtime, Off-Broadway's Bare, Carrie, Altar Boyz) directs.

The cast of Allegiance includes: George Takei as Sam Kimura/Ojii San; Lea Salonga as Kei Kimura;Telly Leung as Sammy Kimura; Christopheren Nomura as Tatsuo Kimura; Michael K. Lee as Frankie Suzuki; Katie Rose Clarke as Hannah Campbell and Greg Watanabe as Mike Masaoka. The ensemble will feature Aaron J. Albano, Belinda Allyn,Marcus Choi, Janelle Dote, Dan Horn, Owen Johnston, Darren Lee, Kevin Munhall, Manna Nichols, Catherine Ricafort, Rumi Oyama, Momoko Sugai,Sam Tanabe, Elena Wang , Scott Watanabe and Scott Wise.

Inspired by the true-life experience of its star Takei ("Star Trek," "Heroes"), ALLEGIANCE follows one family's extraordinary journey in this untold American story. A mysterious envelope leads Sam Kimura (Takei) back 60 years to a time when he (played as a young man by Telly Leung -- Godspell, "Glee") and his sister Kei (Tony winner Lea Salonga -- Miss Saigon, Mulan) strive to save their family from the wrongful imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Sam enlists in the army to prove the Kimura's loyalty, but Kei joins draft resisters fighting for the rights of their people. Their paths take them from the lush farmlands of California to the wastelands of Wyoming to the battlefields of Europe, and their divided loyalties threaten to tear them apart forever. But as long-lost memories are unlocked, Sam finds that it is never too late to forgive and to recognize the redemptive power of love.




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