What if a cat ran your town? That’s not a joke. It really happened. In a small Alaskan town called Talkeetna , the people once elected a cat—yes, a real cat—as their mayor. No political platform, no speeches, no promises. Just a yellow tabby named Stubbs , and a whole lot of people who were fed up with traditional politics. It started with a protest vote The year was 1997 , and local elections were approaching in Talkeetna. This wasn’t a formal city with an official government—it was an unincorporated town with no legal need for a mayor. Still, symbolic elections were held. But that year, the official candidates disappointed the locals. As a joke—or perhaps as a statement of frustration—residents rallied around a kitten from Nagley’s General Store . They wrote in "Stubbs" on the ballot. He won. Just like that, Mayor Stubbs became a thing. What began as satire turned into a 20-year-long story. Talkeetna in the late 1990s Snowy rural streets, wood-paneled shops...
What if she had stayed silent?
What would our memory look like today?
📅 March 23, 1991
On this day, a courageous grandmother in Korea broke decades of silence.
Her name was Kim Hak-sun.
She became the very first woman to publicly testify that she had been a victim of the Japanese military’s wartime sexual slavery—known as the comfort women system.
Her voice became a turning point in Korean society.
From that moment, survivors who had been silent for years began to speak out.
Her words reached not only the Korean public, but also the global stage, igniting media attention and sparking international human rights campaigns.
Her story became more than a historical record.
It became a symbol—one that still calls on us to listen, to remember, and to act.
📚 The Historical Background & Meaning
For years, countless young women across Asia were forcibly taken by the Japanese army to serve in military brothels during World War II.
They endured unimaginable suffering and were silenced by fear, shame, and trauma.
In 1991, Kim Hak-sun broke that silence.
She bravely stood before the world and said,
“Yes. I was one of them.”
It was the first official public testimony by a survivor—and it shattered the long-held silence.
That one voice opened the door to hundreds more.
And eventually, it changed the course of history, creating a global movement for truth, justice, and memory.
"This day is not just a moment of confession.
It’s a day for human rights, for women’s voices, and for breaking silence."
Kim Hak-sun Interview Screenshot
Source: MBC PD Notebook (1991 Interview Broadcast), via Wikimedia Commons
🔄 Connecting to the Present
It’s been over 30 years since Kim Hak-sun spoke out.
And yet, her story still resonates deeply.
Not because it’s just about the past,
but because it’s a warning for our present—and a message for the future.
We still live in a world where silence can mean injustice.
Where victims are afraid to speak.
Where truth needs courage.
Her voice reminds us:
We must remember.
And we must speak.
"What we can do now is simple:
Don’t forget her courage.
Carry the story forward with our voices."
Source: US Army Signal Corps, 1944 / Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Comfort Women in Andaman Islands, 1945
Source: Imperial War Museums (IWM SE 5226), 1945 / Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
"We remember.
Her brave voice pierced through history’s silence.
And because of that, someone today will be able to speak."
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