A Whackadoodle Discussion Featuring an Essay by George Takei, or What it takes to see justice and accountability.
Sometimes it feels like justice will never be served, but in these moments we must remember that accountability is a road to walk, not just a destination--George Takei.
“What are you doing?” she asked, looking over my shoulder.
“I am getting ready to embed an essay that George Takei wrote for The Big Picture.”
“Oh, you mean like what you did with that article about the Colorado lawsuit that’s trying to keep forty-five off the ballot.”
“No, I just restacked that article. I’m embedding this article.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Restacking is sort of like retweeting but without the word limit. You can add a little comment at the beginning of the restack about why you are restacking, but that’s about it. When you embed an article, you can make it part of a whole new article, like I’m doing now.”
“George Takei?” she mused. “Isn’t he the guy who played Zulu on the original Star Trek?”
“Actor, author, activist,” I agreed. “That’s the one.”
“What’s his essay about?”
“It’s about ‘What it takes to see justice and accountability,’” I said, quoting the article. “George Takei learned through experience that ‘accountability is a road to walk, not just a destination.’” I considered my words and added. “I suppose you could call it an essay about patience and determination.”
“What accountability was he trying to get?”
“He grew up in a U.S.-run internment camps during World War II. His family was given seven days to sell everything they owned: homes, business, family heirlooms. The were only able to keep what they could carry. They spent the next few years in internment camps because of Executive Order 9066 . When the war was over, they were let go with $25 per internee and train tickets back to the home they no longer had. His essay is about what it took to finally get an apology from the United States Government and a little restitution for what the families had lost. It’s also a reminder of what it sometimes takes to gain accountability.”
“Wow,” she said impressed. “I see why you want to post it.”
“So, what did you think?” I asked when she was done reading.
She point out a particular paragraph. “I really likes this part,” she said.
I don’t urge patience; that is not my meaning. We should all be impatient for action and for justice. Instead I urge that we view each step on the path as important…We must view our present point in the journey toward accountability as no less important than the endpoint itself—perhaps more so, because only with continued engagement and vigilance by all of us will we achieve the justice we seek.
“What do you like about it?”
“I like how he says that we should view each step on the path to accountability as being equally important, even the steps that seem overwhelming.”
“I like that part too,” I nodded.