Star Trek actor George Takei chats with Ji Suk Yi

CHICAGO -- Legendary "Star Trek" actor, George Takei, chats with Ji Suk Yi at the Alphawood Gallery in Lincoln Park to discuss the gallery's first original exhibition: "Then They Came for Me: Incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII and the Demise of Civil Liberties."

Takei, also known for his social justice activism, discusses how his Japanese American family was imprisoned during WWII and how he's used his platform to help others like himself; including immigrants and the LGBTQ community.

This exhibition examines a dark episode in U.S. history when, in the name of national security, the government incarcerated 120,000 citizens and legal residents during World War II without due process or other constitutional protections to which they were entitled. Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, set in motion the forced removal and imprisonment of all people of Japanese ancestry living on or near the West Coast.

The exhibition features several artists including photographers Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams, as well as artwork by Toyo Miyatake and Mine Okubo.

The exhibition will be open through November 19, 2017. The gallery is open Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday through Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tickets for the event are $15, with $10 of each ticket being donated to the Japanese American Service Committee.

For more information on the Alphawood Gallery, visit www.alphawoodgallery.org.