Day 44: Yuri Kochiyama, Civil Rights Activist, Manhattan, New York
📌APIA Every Day (44) - Yuri Kochiyama, born in 1921 to Japanese immigrants in California, led a life defined by resilience and activism. Her journey into civil rights advocacy began when her family was forced into incarceration, initially at Santa Anita Assembly Center, CA (converted racetrack grounds) and later at Jerome Relocation Center, AK during the 1940s. Upon moving to New York in 1946, her commitment to activism gained momentum in the 1960s, inspired by the school inequality and occupational challenges faced by her and her Black neighbors in Harlem.
Kochiyama's impactful activism reached its pinnacle in 1965 when she cradled Malcolm X's head after his tragic assassination in the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, NY. This moment symbolized the culmination of their collaboration. Subsequently, she played a crucial role in the Revolutionary Action Movement, actively participating in anti-war protests, and contributing significantly to the 1977 takeover of the Statue of Liberty, advocating for Puerto Rican political prisoners. In 1980, she marched in support of Silver Palace restaurant workers in NYC's Chinatown, actively assisting them in reclaiming their jobs after facing injustice. Kochiyama's dedication extended to addressing the injustices suffered by Japanese Americans, ultimately contributing to the redress movement that culminated in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Settling in Oakland, California, she continued unwavering advocacy against anti-Muslim bigotry and racial profiling post-9/11. Despite debates surrounding her controversial beliefs, Kochiyama earned widespread admiration for her adeptness in building bridges between races, generations, and nations. Yuri Kochiyama's significant contributions to the mid-twentieth-century civil rights movement are frequently overlooked. However, her lasting legacy is firmly anchored in the enduring remnants of her unwavering dedication to human rights, spanning civil rights activism, anti-war movements, and efforts toward redress for Japanese Americans. How can Yuri Kochiyama’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and legacy of Afro-Asian solidarity be recognized through historic preservation?
LEARN MORE:
Stanford Libraries: Rise Up for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders - Yuri Kochiyama
Smithsonian Magazine: Behind This Photo Is the Story of Two Asian American Folk Heroes
TIME: Yuri Kochiyama, at Malcolm X’s Side When He Died, Is Dead at 93
Washington Post: Google commemorates a very controversial civil-rights figure, Yuri Kochiyama
Washington Post: Yuri Kochiyama, ’60s civil rights activist and friend of Malcom X’s, dies at 93
Internet Archive: Mountains That Take Wing Angela Davis & Yuri Kochiyama ( Full Documentary)
#apiaeveryday #japanese #japaneseamerican #japaneseamericanhistory #yurikochiyama #santaanita #harlem #newyork #japaneseincarceration #malcolmx #revolutionaryactionmovement #statueofliberty #puertorican #silverpalace #nycchinatown #oaklandca #aapi #aapihistory #civilrights #antiwar #historicpreservation #afroasiansolidarity
