Senator Hirono

in conversation with George Takei

RECORDED Saturday, May 1, 2021

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Senator Mazie K. Hirono’s memoir, Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter’s Story is the intimate and inspiring story of how a girl born in rural Japan went on to become a hero on the left – and of the mother whose courageous choices made her journey possible.

Senator Mazie K. Hirono is a graduate of the University of Hawaii, Manoa and the Georgetown University Law Center. She has served in the Hawaii House of Representatives (1981-1994), as Hawaii’s lieutenant governor (1994-2002), and in the U.S. House of Representatives (2006-2013). She became Hawaii’s first female senator in 2013, winning reelection in 2018. Hirono serves on the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, among others.

George Takei is best known for his portrayal of Mr. Sulu in the acclaimed television and film series Star Trek. He’s an actor, social justice activist, social media mega-power, New York Times bestselling author, originated the role of Sam Kimura and Ojii-Chan in the Broadway musical Allegiance, and subject of To Be Takei, a documentary on his life and career.

“Inspiring . . . insightful . . . you won’t want to put it down.”

­—Cosmopolitan