Review: Before You Vote, Go See HOLD THESE TRUTHS at Portland Center Stage

In this weird presidential campaign, where ideas like building a wall along our southern border and excluding entire groups of people from our country based on their religion are tossed around as if they were reasonable, it's important to look back at our shameful history -- in the hopes that we might avoid repeating it. Jeanne Sakata's HOLD THESE TRUTHS, now playing at Portland Center Stage, gives us that opportunity, and I urge as many people as possible to take it.

HOLD THESE TRUTHS tells the story of Gordon Hirabayashi, a second generation Japanese American who defied the internment order during World War II. He was arrested, but with the help of the ACLU, he pled his case all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court -- and lost. He spent some time in jail, and later in prison for another instance of protesting racially discriminating actions by the government. Upon his release, Hirabayashi earned a Ph.D. in sociology and went on to become a professor.

About 40 years later, his conviction was overturned when new evidence came to light showing that the government knew there was no military reason for interning Japanese Americans, but that this evidence had not been shared with the Supreme Court. Following the discovery of these documents, under President Ronald Reagan, the U.S. government officially apologized in 1988, awarding $20,000 to each internment camp survivor.

For us in the Pacific Northwest, all of this took place practically in our backyard. Hirabayashi lived in Seattle. His family was interned at the Puyallup fairgrounds -- that means just a few weeks ago, we all rode roller coasters at the same site where nearly 7,500 Japanese Americans were imprisoned.

Sakata took Gordon's powerful story and turned it into about 90 minutes of exceptional theatrical storytelling. Between the tight script and an outstanding performance by Ryun Yu (it's a one-man show), I was on The Edge of my seat.

HOLD THESE TRUTHS is excellent...and important. I think everyone should see it. The true story on which it's based took place not that long ago. Let's not forget it.

HOLD THESE TRUTHS plays through November 13. Details and tickets here.

Photo credit: Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv

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