COLORADO SPRINGS – Actor George Takei addressed Air Force Academy Cadets during the Annual National Character and Leadership Symposium last week.
This year’s NCLS event focused on Ethics and Respect for Human Dignity, helping leaders of character comprehend moral knowledge and ethical alternatives, respect the dignity of all persons they encounter and use righteous judgment in moral decision-making.
Takei spoke to cadets in Clune Arena about the “insidious” nature of racism and militarism and said true democracy is impossible without promoting human rights. He also spoke of his childhood spent with his family wrongfully imprisoned in Japanese American internment camps.
“They called them internment camps, but they were really concentration camps,” he said.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942, authorizing the transport of thousands of Japanese American U.S. citizens into the camps, including one in Southern Colorado.
“We saw two soldiers walking up our driveway,” he said. “Literally at gunpoint, we were forced out of our home. The terror of that morning is burned in my memory.”
Takei is also a staunch advocate of LGBT rights and had dinner on Feb. 22 with cadets from the school’s Spectrum Club, a support network for gay, lesbian, bisexual, questioning cadets, and their allies.
Doctor Joseph Looney, the Academy’s chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, said Takei and the symposium’s other diverse speakers expose cadets to backgrounds, cultures, and identities they may be unfamiliar with or have preconceived notions about.
“Understanding, awareness, and acknowledgment of different perspectives help cadets lead in an increasingly diverse Air and Space Force,” he said. “Just as important, this awareness leads to authentic communication and allows Airmen and guardians to be comfortable and confident in their true selves. Creating inclusive command climates, where all Airmen and Guardians can bring their whole selves to the mission and feel valued in their contributions cannot be undervalued.”
