Starting on Feb. 12, the Santa Barbara Public Library and San Luis Obispo Public Library will join other California library systems in streaming the documentary, And Then They Came For Us, for the public to access online for free. This award-winning documentary details the forced removal and incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans in the U.S. during World War II as a result of Executive Order 9066.
The film features rediscovered photographs by Dorothea Lange and in-depth interviews with several individuals who were incarcerated, including actor, activist, and author George Takei. On Feb. 19, from 4 to 5 p.m., participating libraries will co-host a live Q-and-A discussion of the film, via Zoom, featuring Takei, who also detailed his firsthand account of years spent behind the barbed wires of internment camps in his award-winning memoir, They Called Us Enemy. Widely known for his portrayal of Sulu in Star Trek, Takei’s acting career spans five decades with roles in more than 40 feature films.
Visit gooddocs.net for info on how to pre-register for the free Zoom panel, which will also feature filmmaker Abby Ginzberg (co-director of And Then They Came For Us with Ken Schneider) and activist Satsuki Ina. The documentary will be available to stream between Feb. 12 and 19, and a link to the Zoom meeting will be emailed to registrants on Feb. 12.
This article appears in Feb 11-18, 2021.
