Day 24 - Richard Aoki, Asian American Black Panther & FBI Informant, Oakland & UC Berkeley, CA
📌APIA Every Day (24) - Richard Aoki's legacy is a complex tapestry woven through his involvement with the Black Panther Party and his role as a political informant for the FBI during the politically charged 1960s and 1970s. Aoki, born in 1938 to Japanese-American parents who had experienced internment during World War II, grew up in a racially diverse neighborhood in West Oakland. His early life experiences, including military service and witnessing police brutality, shaped his militant ideology.
Aoki became a field marshal in the Black Panther Party, contributing to the organization's efforts to combat police brutality through activities like the "shotgun patrols." His involvement went beyond the African-American community, as he played a key role in the Asian-American Political Alliance (AAPA) and participated in the Third World Liberation Front Strike at UC Berkeley. Aoki's commitment to social justice extended to his activism in the broader context of ethnic studies, where he sought to connect the struggles of different minority groups.
However, Aoki's legacy is complicated by the revelation of newly released FBI records indicating that he was a political informant for the FBI, providing information on fellow activists, including Black Panther leaders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, whom he met at Merritt Community College. Notably, the records themselves indicate that Aoki did not fully cooperate with his FBI handlers. Much of the information he shared was already public knowledge, and the documents suggest that he made deliberate efforts to align with the movement when critical choices arose.
Despite the controversy surrounding his informant role, Aoki continued to be involved in activism and education. He played a crucial role in the establishment of an ethnic studies program at UC Berkeley and later returned to Merritt College to teach. Aoki's life and legacy invite reflection on the complexities of political activism, loyalty, and the impact of government surveillance on social justice movements.
LEARN MORE:
NPR: Did Man Who Armed Black Panthers Lead Two Lives?
NBC: The history behind 'Yellow Peril Supports Black Power' and why some find it problematic
Reveal: New FBI files show wide range of Black Panther informant’s activities (article, YouTube)
ThoughtCo: Biography of Richard Aoki, Asian-American Black Panther
Jacobin: The Case of Richard Aoki: Berkeley Radical, Black Panther, FBI Informant
FBI Records: The Vault: Richard Matsui Aoki
Peralta Colleges: Richard Aoki: Committed Revolutionary or FBI Informant? (Documentary on YouTube, Part 1 & Part 2)
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