SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 18, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — George Takei, Lieutenant Sulu on the original “Star Trek” and noted activist for Asian-American and LGBTQ+ rights, will visit the University of Utah in January.
MUSE (My “U” Signature Experience) will welcome Takei as its first national guest for the 2021-22 theme of “Rebuilding” on Jan. 27, 2022. Takei will address students and the university community at Kingsbury Hall beginning at noon and a book signing will follow, said a news release from the U.
Tickets for all students are free and can be picked up, with student ID, at the Kingsbury Hall box office in mid-January. More ticket details will be announced at a later date.
Takei has recently published a graphic novel, “They Called Us Enemy,” about his family’s experience in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II, the news release said. It tells the story of the uprooting and imprisonment of his family for the duration of the war.
Following their release, Takei and his family returned to Los Angeles — after considering a move to Salt Lake City — and the young Takei continued his schooling, the news release said. He became a college student at UCLA where he studied acting. This led to a casting interview with Gene Roddenberry, the creator of “Star Trek.”
“Takei’s life is an inspiring story of rebuilding, and MUSE believes students at the U will find his presentation both enjoyable and deeply relevant to the work they’re doing in their own lives,” the news release said.
MUSE will have free copies of “They Called Us Enemy” for U students available for pickup at the its office, located in the Sill Center, beginning Nov. 22.
“All of us, and perhaps college students most of all, are in the process of rebuilding after the great disruption of the pandemic,” said MUSE Associate Director Libby Henriksen. “Mr. Takei’s presentation and dialogue with U students will be a rich opportunity for them to explore both individual and collective ways forward.”
MUSE is an office established as a Presidential Initiative in 2010. Its mission is to build an enhanced and inspiring educational culture for all U undergraduates. For more information, visit the MUSE office at the Sill Center or check out muse.utah.edu.
