George Takei to Speak at the U on April 21

MUSE presents

George Takei

April 21, 2022
12:00 p.m.

Kingsbury Hall

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The University of Utah MUSE (My U Signature Experience) Project will host George Takei as a keynote speaker on April 21, 2022. The event will take place at Kingsbury Hall at 12:00 p.m., and a book signing will follow. Student tickets will be available on March 29, and tickets for staff, faculty, and the general public will be available on April 5. More information about tickets is below.

Each year, MUSE chooses a theme and centerpiece books as the basis for its educational work. “Rebuilding” is the 2020-21 theme, and one accompanying book is Takei's graphic novel, They Called Us Enemy, a New York Times Bestseller that chronicles his family’s experience in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. It tells a harrowing story of the uprooting and imprisonment of his family for the duration of the war. Free copies of They Called Us Enemy are available now at the MUSE office in the Sill Center.

As part of the theme year on "Rebuilding," MUSE will host a series of lunchtime conversations, book discussion groups, and other activities designed to facilitate reflection and encourage undergraduate students to consider their individual and collective ways forward.

MUSE is providing copies of They Called Us Enemy to U students and other members of the university community.

To pick up your free copy, visit us at
the MUSE office in the Sill Center
(195 Central Campus Drive).

For classroom-set inquiries or to participate in a book discussion group, send an email to muse@muse.utah.edu.

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Critical acclaim for They Called Us Enemy

"Moving and layered... Takei challenges Americans to look to how past humanitarian injustices speak to current political debates. Giving a personal view into difficult history, [They Called Us Enemy] is a testament to hope and tenacity in the face of adversity." — Publishers Weekly 

"A compelling blend of nostalgia and outrage... this approachable, well-wrought graphic memoir is important reading, particularly in today's political climate. Pair with John Lewis’ acclaimed March series for a thought-provoking, critical look at the history of racism in American policies and culture." — Booklist 

"This evocative memoir shares stories of the nation’s past, draws heartbreaking parallels to the present, and serves as a cautionary tale for the future. For all readers old enough to understand the importance of our collective history." — School Library Journal 

"Emotionally staggering... They Called Us Enemy also inspires readers to engage through democracy to insist that we treat fellow human beings with fairness and dignity." — Amazon Best Books of the Month

"Riveting... Takei has evolved into an increasingly powerful voice for oppressed communities, and They Called Us Enemy finds him at peak moral clarity — an unflinching force in these divisive times." — The Washington Post

"A detailed, wrenching account... They Called Us Enemy should prove the most potent introduction for younger readers to this ignoble chapter in our history." — The New York Times

"Powerful, moving and relevant." — Los Angeles Times

"A tale of triumph over adversity." — BBC America

"A highly readable graphic novel treatment of the internment of Japanese Americans, giving a new generation of young readers a striking example of what the United States is capable of, told from the perspective of someone who personally suffered from that injustice... in a more vivid, first-person account than textbooks and lectures can ever achieve." — The Comics Journal

 

George Takei is known around the world for his role in the acclaimed original TV series Star Trek, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the starship Enterprise. But Takei's story, which includes an acting career that spans six decades, goes where few have gone before. From a childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in Japanese American internment camps during World War II to becoming one of the country's leading figures in the fight for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and marriage equality, Takei remains a powerful voice on issues ranging from politics to pop culture.

Takei hosts the AARP-produced YouTube series Takei's Take, exploring the world of technology, trends, current events and pop culture, and is the subject of the documentary To Be Takei. On his own YouTube channel, Takei and his husband, Brad, bring viewers into their personal lives in the "heightened reality" web series It Takeis Two. He was a series regular in the second season of Ridley Scott's anthology drama The Terror: Infamy, which premiered on AMC in August 2019.

His rich baritone has provided narration for the PBS series The National Parks: America's Best Idea, the Peabody Award-winning radio documentary Crossing East, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which garnered Takei a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album. He has also done voiceover work for hundreds of video games, commercials, films and TV series such as Fox’s The Simpsons and Futurama; Disney’s Kim Possible, Mulan and Mulan 2; Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Takei’s acting credits include co-starring in five Star Trek movies and appearances on such TV series as Fresh Off the Boat, Supah Ninjas, Hawaii Five-0, The New Normal, The Big Bang Theory, Heroes, Psych, Will & Grace, Miami Vice, MacGyver, The Six Million Dollar Man, Mission: Impossible and The Twilight Zone, among numerous others.

In 2015, Takei made his Broadway debut in the musical Allegiance, which was inspired by his true-life experiences during World War II. In 2017, he starred in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures in New York City.

Takei is the author of four books, including his autobiography To the Stars. His fifth book, the New York Times bestselling graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy, was released in July 2019.

Takei has served as the spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign’s Coming Out Project and was Cultural Affairs Chairman of the Japanese American Citizens League. He is also chairman emeritus and a trustee of the Japanese American National Museum. He was appointed to the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission by former President Clinton, and the government of Japan awarded Takei the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his contribution to U.S.-Japanese relations.

Takei received both bachelor and master of arts degrees from UCLA (’60, ’64). In June 2019, Takei received the Distinguished Alumni Award in Theater from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT).

Mashable.com named Takei the #1 most-influential person on Facebook. He currently has more than 10 million Facebook likes and 3 million Twitter followers–and he uses these platforms to share humor, news, and his take on current events.