this is "nightline." >> tonight, free the curls. rocking natural hair and making waves. >> can i show up to the interview with my hair the way that it is? >> inside the growing legal battle over regulating black hairstyles. a choice to live proudly sometimes met with discrimination. and the hair movement celebrating black locks in all of its curls and glory. plus, next enterprise. >> enterprise is gone. >> "star trek's" sulu, george takei, on a dark chapter in america, internment camps during world war ii. >> barracks of a concentration camp with the american flag flying over it. >> from then to now.

spreading his message of never again. and maddy mad dog. the 12-year-old in a league of her own. >> but maddy is off the mound to make the play. but first, the "nightline" 5. number 1

good evening. thank you for joining us. it's a journey personal to many

of us. our relationship with our hair. now the celebration of curly roots and the legal fight to wear natural hair proudly and without any discrimination at work, school, anywhere. here's abc's janai norman. >> reporter: from twists to braids, kinks to locks, a love fest as tight as their curls, this is curlfest. a one-of-a-kind celebration of all things natural hair. it's a growing movement inspiring change nationwide. one that focuses not on what it looks like but rather what it represents, making it clear that now more than ever her hair, my hair, his hair, and their hair are here to stay. >> the energy here is amazing. >> reporter: and here, seeing is believing. >> why did you feel like there was a need for this? >> asking each other questions about can i show up to the interview with my hair the way that it is? is my words going to speak louder than my beauty? because we have to ask ourselves these questions on a daily

basis. and we decided we needed a place where the answer was a res oungd yes. >> gia lowe is a part of the curly girl collective, a group of five friends passionate about honoring and celebrating natural hair. they're the founders of curlfest, a gathering meant to empower women of color now in its sixth year. for me it's a transcendent experience. >> for many students these changes with mean the difference between being bullied and being accepted by classmates. >> i want to remind everyone at home that bloom county is under a red flag warning. >> interpreter: over the past year i made the decision to wear my natural hair on air, documenting my journey with the hashtag free the curls. my story becoming a part of the conversation that we've been following for years. one surrounding the regulation of natural black hairstyles. the issue even reaching schools like this high school in louisville, kentucky when the dress code policy banned dreadlocks, twists, and afros longer than two inches back in 2016. >> it felt very personal to me because i've worn those

hairstyles. >> reporter: the school backed down on the policy, saying it was a misunderstanding and a lesson learned. >> the u.s. navy is now allowing women to wear ponytails, free hanging braids as well as locks. >> reporter: even the military caught in the debate. the army relaxing its ban on dreadlocks and twists for women in 2017. and last year the navy joining suit. and then this past winter this video going viral, showing new jersey high school wrestler andrew johnson being forced to cut his dreadlocks in order to compete. a referee giving him the option. cut his god-given hair or forfeit. the student's humiliation striking a call to action thousands of miles away for california sta senator holly mitchell. >> from my perspective the way he was approached by that official was really an assault, and that's when i knew that the time was right because the world now experienced what i and many black men and women who wear our hair natural have experienced,

the world had witnessed it. >> reporter: the video inspiring the state legislature to author and introduce the crown act, a bill focused on protecting natural hair in the workplace. >> to challenge common-held myths about what constitutes professionalism in the workplace. >> we decided that we didn't want to just draft a resolution, we wanted to actually change the law. sought crown act, sb188, was introduced last january and it was signed into law by the governor this past july. >> reporter: for state senator mitchell the fight is personal. >> i wore my hair braided during the '80s, throughout my high school experience. as a black woman who ran for public office with my hair locked. if i hadn't been allowed to do that, how it could have potentially just impacted my own development and trajectory as a woman with confidence and with deep self-pride in terms of my ethnic herdtage. >> state assembly just unanimously passed a bill that protects against discrimination against employees and students

based on their hairstyles. >> reporter: california's crown act inspired other states to follow suit. just last month new york passed a new law to expand the definition of race o'include hair textures. and in new jersey a similar bill is in the works. beyond the legal fight is a fight for representation societily. the movement is now going mainstream. ♪ don't touch my hair from solange's "don't touch my hair" to sese street. ♪ i wear it up, i wear it down ♪ i wear it twisted all around even films like netflix's with the nappily ever after getting in on the action. >> my dad won't let me perm my hair. he says the chemicals go right to your brain. >> you don't need to do that. >> reporter: the battle also playing out on the shelves of beauty stores. >> it feels so good. >> reporter: at curlfest i met 28-year-old mudja eltajani, founder and ceo of natural club. >> how does that feel for you being here? >> it's beautiful. i think this festival is a long

time coming. i think the natural hair movement started so long ago and now we actually have a space to be unapologetically ourselves. >> i haven't been really taking care of my hair -- >> reporter: back in 2012 eltagani was a junior in college growing frustrated with the lack of productvailab for her hair. so she began concocting natural hair products out of her dorm room. >> i just want to say welcome to my channel. >> reporter: her tutorials on youtube made her a hit. soon fans were reaching out asking to buy her trademark product, the homemade avocado deep conditioner. by 2015 her brand, naturall club, was born. >> the hair industry is now thinking more kinky and other hair types. we cater to that demographic because it's been overlooked and underserved in the past. >> reporter: now elt aechlt gani says she runs a $45 million business out of her office in philadelphia. >> so in like 30 days i sold about $10,000 worth of product

that didn't exist and the community just spoke really loud. they wanted something else fresh. and that's how naturall club came to be. >> reporter: her business she says growing year after year. according to a 2017 report by men's health the black hair care industry was estimated to be worth $2.54 billion. natural hair products making up a large share of that. the founders of curlfest are appreciative of the moment natural hair is having. >> it's an affirmation of what we're doing. the whole country's watching. and when you have issues like that with the whole country outside of this community is watching then they start paying attention. >> reporter: monumental steps in the right direction that will have a lasting impact on future generations. >> so now for young girls to be attending curlfest and sporting their fros, i feel like it's such a healing moment. not just for us but for them and then for them to continue to go

forward with this type of imagery so they can then instill it into their children so it then changes the perception. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm janai norman in new york. up next, he helped pilot the "enterprise," and now george takei boldly driving forward his we call it the m r standard of care. it's how we bring real hope to our cancer patients- like viola. when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, her team at ctca created a personalized care plan that treated her cancer and strengthened her spirit. so viola could focus on her future. their future. this is how we inspire hope. this is how we heal. cancer treatment centers of america. appointments available now. canco♪ ozempic®! ♪enters of aoh!ica. oh! (announcer) people with type 2 diabetes are excited about the potential of once-weekly ozempic®. in a study with ozempic®, a majority of adults lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c

of less than 7 and maintained it. oh! under 7? (announcer) and you may lose weight. in the same one-year study, adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. oh! up to 12 pounds? (announcer) a two-year study showed that ozempic® does not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, or death. oh! no increased risk? (announcer) ozempic® should not be the first medicine for treating diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not share needles or pens. don't reuse needles. do not take ozempic® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to ozempic®. stop taking ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, itching, rash, or trouble breathing. serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis. tell your doctor if you have diabetic retinopathy or vision changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase the risk for low blood sugar. common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,

stomach pain, and constipation. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. i discovered the potential with ozempic®. ♪ oh! oh! oh! ozempic®! ♪ (announcer) if eligible, you may pay as little as $25 per prescription. ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®.

here'sshow me making it. like. oh! i got one. the best of amy poehler. amy, maybe we could use the voice remote to search for something that you're not in. show me parks and rec. from netflix to prime video to live tv, xfinity lets you find your favorites with the emmy award-winning x1 voice remote. show me the best of amy poehler, again. this time around... now that's simple, easy, awesome. experience the entertainment you love on x1. access netflix, prime video, youtube and more, all with the sound of your voice. click, call or visit a store today.

george takei is on a new mission. the actor and activist calling out injustice on and off the screen, hoping his family's painful past of imprisonment in america will help future

generations not repeat the mistakes of history. here's my "nightline" co-anchor, juju chang. >> this is where we were assembled. and then from here we were sent out to the actual barbed wire concentration camps. >> reporter: george takei is having a flashback to his childhood. >> but 5-year-old me, i thought it's fun to sleep where the horsies sleep. >> reporter: now 82, this is only the second time the actor and activist has been back to the place where he was detained as a child. the santa anita racetrack. so you literally slept in the stables. >> we slept in a stall. each family was assigned a narrow, smelly stall. it still had the stink of horse manure. and for my parents it was a degrading, painful, humiliating thing. >> reporter: though he's kept his distance physically, that time of his life has never strayed far from his mind, and now he's bringing his experience to a new platform.

in his new graphic memoir "they called us enemy," as a way of teaching younger generations a dark chapter in our nation's history. >> i grew up on comic books, and i thought comic books are what really influences young people, and so let's target youth readership. and they're going to grow up to be people with a knowledge of this chapter of this american history. >> reporter: a legend for his role on the cult classic series "star trek," his recent work an xechx his multifaceted political activism. takei has xernsd a second renaissance as an outspoken digital provocateur. >> you have nearly 3 million followers on twitter. what makes your ideas so young and so appealing to young people? >> well, i try to humanize what i say. yes, i can be outraged and angry, but i also see the ridiculousness of it. >> reporter: one of his most frequent targets, president

donald trump. >> right. >> reporter: his former boss on slrns slrn "celebrity apprentice." >> you know wholesale has the most respect for you, george? >> who is that? >> donald trump. but george, you're fired. >> reporter: you referred to him in that tweet as a demagogue. what do you mean by that? >> he is a man who vilifies and inflikts cruelty. that's a demagogue. >> reporter: for takei it's all an effort to prevent history from repeating itself. >> this president is someone who doesn't know history, who is reckless, and he is inhuman. at least in our case the chilen were intact with our fleem families. >> reporter: in 1942 as a 5-year-old his family among the nearly 120,000 japanese-americans rounded up and incarcerated after japan bombed pearl harbor, homes and businesses gone forever. >> money was never returned. it was gone. and our home. they took everything. >> reporter: as anti-japanese

hysteria swept the nation president roosevelt authorized their forced imprisonment, even those born in the u.s. like george's mom, here with george and his two siblings. they were locked up behind barbed wire because of their race. >> and it was executive order 9066, the infamous document. >> reporter: the takei family spent roughly four years incarcerated by the u.s. government at the rauer internment camp in arkansas and tulei lake internment camp in california. and he's outraged that what happened to his family is happening again today. >> what's happening now on the southern border with people who are fleeing for their lives, we are tearing the children away from those parents and putting them in filthy, disgusting cages with human waste. >> reporter: takei would pursue acting and land the role of a lifetime as the dashing helmsman on "star trek." rising from ensign to captain sulu. >> don't call me tiny.

>> reporter: did you feel pressure to represent, as it were? >> i was certainly mindful of the role that i'm playing. >> reporter: and yet you helped create this iconic character that was strong and sexy and swashbuckling, which really broke a lot of stereotypes in hollywood. >> it did. >> reporter: that is your most legendary scene, if i may say so myself. >> after i saw that script, the writer happened to be on the set and i suggested a fencing foil. and he said oh, yeah, that's interesting. do you fence? and i said, it's my favorite sport. that saturday i took my first formal fencing lesson at falcon studio on sunset boulevard. >> reporter: takei has a penchant for calling out injustice, using his social media lebrity to build a digital platform, a website, and a podcast, all an extension of his social commentary and ac

activism. which also fuels his storytelling from the broadway stage in the 2015 musical "allegiance." ♪ i'll take what chance the future brings ♪ >> anywhere you go it follow you. >> reporter: and now a highly stylized ten-part series on amc, "the terror infamy." part japanese ghost story, part modern american thriller. >> it's a horror story. and it was horrific for the adults. and a portion of the internees were immigrants from japan, people who came to this country like all immigrants, with hope and aspirations for a better life. >> reporter: but in his graphic memoir takei confronts these themes head on, depicting his early childhood in the barracks of internment camps, grasping for understanding. >> your life story's going to be in every public library. >> it's kind of humbling. it's a campaign that we've been

carrying on for a long time. there are still people that i consider well-informed people. when i tell them about my childhood imprisonment here in america, they're shocked. >> this is our wedding day. >> reporter: george gave us a tour of the home he shares with his husband brad. >> we call it team takei. george and i are a team. >> reporter: and after years of fighting for marriage equality, george and the love of his life tied the knot. >> for 21 years of my life with george as a committed couple, same-sex couple, we didn't really have any legal rights. and so we really were living from the government's eyes as two single men. once we got married we got all the rights and privileges that come with marriage. and we found out that marriage is really cool. >> brad and i were married in the democracy forum because it was democracy that made our marriage possible. >> reporter: and that wedding venue, the democracy forum, part

of the japanese-american national museum in l.a. that george helped establish. >> in arkansas i remember they taught us the pledge of allegiance to the flag in one of those barracks. that was our school. >> that seems -- >> and i remember reciting the words "with liberty and justice for all." innocent child. totally oblivious of the stinging irony of those words "liberty and justice for all." >> reporter: that's george's kindergarten class taught behind barbed wire. he believes it's a subtle but sinister mistake to call these barracks japanese internment camps. >> these are american internment camps, or concentration camps. that's what we were put into. >> reporter: his voice still echoing his father, who long ago taught him that democracy is only as strong as the people who take part in it.

>> i consider it my responsibility as an american citizen to actively participate, particularly because i know my childhood imprisonment. if we don't educate our fellow americans to the vulnerability of our democracy, how fragile it can be, then we're not being responsible citizens. >> george takei's memoir "they called us enemy" is out now. and next, the little leaguer in and next, the little leaguer in a league of her own. new crest gum and sensity. and then i jump on the trampoline. ahh brain freeze! no, it's my teeth. your teeth hurt? sensitivity. i should do something about it. 80% of sensitivity starts at the gum line, so treat sensitivity at the source. new crest gum and sensitivity starts treating sensitivity immediately, at the gum line, for relief within days and wraps your teeth in sensitivity protection. ohh

your teeth? no, it's brain freeze! crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. i wanted more that's why i've got the power of 1 2 3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved 3-in-1 copd treatment. ♪ trelegy. the power of 1-2-3. ♪ trelegy 1-2-3 trelegy. with trelegy and the power of 1 2 3, i'm breathing better. trelegy works 3 ways to open airways, keep them open and reduce inflammation for 24 hours of better breathing. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. trelegy is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. think your copd medicine is doing enough? maybe you should think again. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy

and the power of 1 2 3. ♪ trelegy 1-2-3 save at trelegy.com

has been excellent. they really appreciate the military family and it really shows. with all that usaa offers why go with anybody else? we know their rates are good, we know that they're always going to take care of us. it was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. it was funny because when we would call another insurance company, hey would say "oh we can't beat usaa" we're the webber family. we're the tenney's we're the hayles, and we're usaa members for life. ♪ get your usaa auto insurance quote today.

in the human brain, billions of nefor people with parkinson's, some neurons change their tune, causing uncontrollable tremors. now, abbott technology can target those exact neurons.

restoring control and harmony, once thought to belost forever. the most personal technology is technology with the power to change your life. and finally tonight, making her mark on the field. >> nice job by maddy freking to get -- >> maddy freking is from minnesota. and this 12-year-old knows how to play hard and make an introduction. >> hi. my name is maddy and everybody calls me mad dog. >> whoo, whoo, whoo! >> reporter: maddy is the only girl playing in this year's little league world series and the 19th girl to compete in the competition knits 72 years.

and she's making her mark and sending a message for all the girls and boys watching at home. >> keep playing. don't let anybody stop you. and always do your best. >> good for her. as it says in isaiah 11:6, "a child shall lead the way." that's "nightline." you can always catch our full episodes on hulu. thanks for the company, america. good night.