Inspired by the true story of University of Washington student Gordon Hirabayashi, “Hold These Truths” follows Hirabayashi during the U.S. Government’s decision to forcibly remove and incarcerate people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
Hirabayashi openly defied the relocation and internment and refused to report for evacuation to an internment camp, instead turning himself in to the FBI to assert his belief that these practices were racially discriminatory. Consequently, he was convicted by a U.S. Federal District Court in Seattle of defying the exclusion order and violating curfew. Hirabayashi appealed his conviction all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled against him in 1943. Following World War II and his imprisonment, Hirabayashi obtained a doctoral degree in sociology and became a professor. In 1987, his conviction was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Ryun Yu stars in Jeanne Sakata’s solo show about Gordon Hirabayashi in “Hold These Truths” from July 17 to August 16 at ACT Theatre Falls Theatre, 700 Union Street, Seattle, WA 98101. Tickets start at $44 for adults, $15 for students, $20 for those age 25 and under, and $33 for seniors. For more information, call (206) 292-7676 or visit www.acttheatre.org.