Yuri Kochiyama
Yuri Kochiyama
Yuri Kochiyamawas an American political activist. Influenced by her family's internment and her association with Malcolm X, she advocated for many causes, including Black separatism, the anti-war movement, Maoist revolution, reparations for Japanese-American internees, and the rights of people imprisoned by the U.S. government for violent offenses whom she considered to be "political prisoners". On May 19, 2016, she was featured on the U.S. Google Doodle, sparking controversy...
NationalityJapanese
ProfessionActivist
Date of Birth19 May 1921
CountryJapan
I lived in San Pedro, California, which is, you know, on the west side of California, and it's where many, many Japanese lived.
Projects meant living with blacks and Puerto Ricans, but that's what we wanted. Living in the projects, we've met so many wonderful, wonderful people.
When you're in a black group, you have to keep in mind you're not black. You just have to be sensitive. We have to be appreciative that the black nationalist struggle is a nationalist struggle.
I tell you, in this country, you don't get much of an education. Throughout high school, through junior college, which is all I went, I didn't know anything about the annihilation of all the Indian nations that were here.
People have a right to violence, to rebel, to fight back.
I didn't wake up and decide to become an activist. But you couldn't help notice the inequities, the injustices. It was all around you.
The most important thing today is to stop US wars.
I don't think there will ever be a time when people will stop wanting to bring about change.
We are all part of one another.
The movement is contagious, and the people in it are the ones who pass on the spirit.
People have a right to violence, to rebel, to fight back. And given what the United States Government and Western powers have done to the third world, I feel that these countries should fight back.
Remember that consciousness is power. Tomorrow's world is yours to build.
Our ultimate objective in learning about anything is to try to create and develop a more just society.
Don't become too narrow. Live fully. Meet all kinds of people. You'll learn something from everyone. Follow what you feel in your heart.