I have fond memories of my mother's cooking after we were released and our next home was in the Mexican-American Barrio and everybody was Mexican-American.

We were the only Japanese family, much less Asian family in our neighborhood

of East Chalet. My mother made friends with Mrs. Gonzales, our neighbor, and they lived in each other's kitchens and she learned how to cook

Mexican. It was great. The best tacos and enchiladas were made by Mrs. decay in East Alley. Welcome to your mama's kitchen, the podcast that explores how we're shaped as adults

by the kitchens we grew up in as kids. I'm Michelle Norris. On this episode

I'm talking to actor, author, and activist George Tache and this is going to be a very special conversation. George is probably best known for playing Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek, a brave man who always

kept his cool when things got a little hairy or the Starship Enterprise was

exploring the final frontier. In real life, George has also explored several frontiers as a beloved actor celebrated

across the globe as an activist who consistently speaks out about human rights and civil rights

as a vocal and effective advocate for LGBTQ plus rights and as an

elder statesman that uses his youthful energy to get young people involved in

politics. When you get to know George it's easy to see why his whole life

has been shaped by politics. Laughter comes easy for him. He's got a playful almost mercurial sense of humor and

you'll hear that in this conversation, but that stands in stark contrast to a very

painful family history.

George Decay's family members were among the more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry

that were rounded up and shipped away against their will to relocation camps after the Japanese military surprise

attack on Pearl Harbor.

Those families had to leave behind businesses, farms, homes, and most of their belongings.

This can be hard listening,

but I'm grateful to George for reaching back

and sharing these stories with us.

...