Watch George Takei visit Hiroshima, where a US atomic bomb killed his grandmother and aunt [View all]

[octoberlib]

As one can imagine, the bomb fundamentally reshaped Hiroshima's culture. Since 1968, all Hiroshima mayors have written protest letters to countries that possess nuclear weapons.


Hiroshima's commitment to peace is so extensive, Takei explains, that the city is one of the few places outside the United States that celebrates Martin Luther King's birthday. "I marched with Dr. King," Takei says, "and his words resonate here: 'We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.'"

Hiroshima isn't Takei's only personal connection to World War 2. His family was also held at a US internment camp, alongside thousands of other Japanese Americans. Despite the harm the US inflicted on his family during the war, his love for America remains strong.

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