Every day when we watch the news, it fees like it can’t possibly get any worse. I remember thinking n school that atrocities we read about in history seemed so far out of the realm of reality- to the point of questioning teachers that these events could have happened. But they did and what’s happening in the world and in this country is real.

We went to see Allegiance today as a family. It is the story of Japanese internment camps during World War II. I remember learning about about this time period in middle school and thinking how could we recognize what was going on with Jews in Germany was wrong but do the same thing here.

The musical tells the stories of families torn apart because of distrust of the government. The parallels today with children taken from their families at the border is a stark reminder that these events happened then and are happening again now. And thankfully people are standing up, speaking out and raising the public’s attention.

After seeing the musical we had a chance to talk to the kids. It was another opportunity to use the art they see to reflect on the world. It’s the reason art is so important right now. I’m forever grateful to live in a city that values the arts and gives us a jumping off point to have difficult conversations.