This talk was given at TEDxKyoto, a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. George Takei draws his inspiration and strength from one of the darkest chapters of American history: the World War II uprooting and incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese-American citizens.

Recalling his childhood spent behind the barbed wire of America's concentration camps, Mr. Takei reveals his life-long journey from bitter confusion to an impassioned admiration and pride in his fellow Japanese-Americans and his country that encompasses and celebrates us all.