Yuri Kochiyama was born on May 19, 1921 and died on June 1, 2014. She was born in San Pedro, CA, while she spent many of her later years in Oakland, CA as well as nearby cities in the East Bay.

Kochiyama practiced the art of radical activism. Growing up she attended church, taught Sunday school, and eventually graduated from San Pedro High School. She went on to study English, journalism, and art at Compton College. Almost immediately after graduating, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and the US government placed her family in an internment camp, where she would meet her future husband. These events, followed by the development of a close friendship with Malcolm X, influenced her practice as an activist. She was a supporter of many movements, including the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, revolutionary Maoism, and the movement to obtain reparations for the Japanese-American internees.

She lived many places before settling back in the San Francisco Bay Area, most notably living in New York City, where she was involved with underserved communities, eventually meeting and becoming friends with Malcolm X. Kochiyama was present when Malcolm X was assassinated and was photographed holding him during the aftermath for Life magazine. She continued her activism in Harlem, becoming one of the leaders of the Asian-American movement in the late 1960s. She continued her work by becoming active on the West Coast, bridging the gap between communities on either side of the country.

Kochiyama relocated to Oakland in 1999 to be closer to her children living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She became part of the People’s Resistance Against US Terrorism, which held a “speak out” at the West Oakland Library. Besides being involved with local activist groups, Yuri stayed busy speaking at events, attending conferences, researching, writing speeches, and being involved with documentaries. She was said to be stubborn, fighting vigorously for any cause that piqued her interest right up until her death in 2014 when she was 93.

Haunts:

  • She attended a “speak out” sponsored by the People’s Resistance Against US Terrorism at the West Oakland Library (1801 Adeline Street, Oakland, CA 94607).
  • She was a guest speaker for a heritage month at Mills College (5000 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94613).

~ by Raissa Palacios ~

External Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Kochiyama

https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Yuri_Kochiyama/

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-Inspired-by-Malcolm-X-Asian-American-2610453.php

https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/the-last-revolutionary/Content?oid=1067083

https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/yuri-kochiyama-was-born/

https://aaww.org/serve-the-people-at-the-bottom-yuri-kochiyama/

https://www.mills.edu/student-life/student-activities/heritage-months/index.php

Image 1:

Image 2:


Image 3: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-Inspired-by-Malcolm-X-Asian-American-2610453.php
Image 4: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-Inspired-by-Malcolm-X-Asian-American-2610453.php

css.php