On June 1, the world lost an amazing human being. The revolutionary Yuri Kochiyama passed away. Yuri was a survivor of the U.S government’s internment of Japanese Americans, a leader in the Asian liberation movement and a a comrade to Black liberation leaders like Malcolm X. But Yuri’s life was more than a list affiliations.
The Smithsonian has curated Folk Hero, an online exhibit featuring art that celebrates Yuri’s life through grassroots art.The online exhibit includes a screenprint of Yuri I created last year at the Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer.
APEX Express a weekly magazine-style radio show on KPRA features the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of the community. APEX Express is committed to building a broader social movement for justice and collective liberation for all oppressed people, including poor & working-class people, people of color, women and queer people. They support grassroots organizing and cultural work that advance these goals, and see APEX as a space for building consciousness and promoting critical discussion about these efforts.
APEX Expresshas aired a special series honoring the life and legacy of civil rights leader, activist, and Asian American movement pioneer. They share Yuri’s thoughts on African and Asian solidarity across the globe, her intimate recollection of Malcolm X’s murder, and more from the youth and the up and coming generations that she has inspired. Listen here.