Poster of Yuri Nakahara from high school, where she covered San Pedro High’s sport events for the San Pedro News Pilot as an unpaid reporter.
Two Yuri Kochiyama Memorials during Black August
It is symbolic that two Yuri Kochiyama Celebrations-of-Life took place during the month of August. August was designated “Black August” in the early 1970s in honor of the fallen Black freedom fighters who sparked the revolutionary prison movement. Honoring Jonathan Jackson, George Jackson, William Christmas, James McClain and Khatari Gaulden, Black August has grown to commemorate Nat Turner’s slave rebellion of 1831, the birth of the Underground Railroad in 1850, the March on Washington in 1965, the birth month of Marcus Garvey, Fred Hampton, and Mutulu Shakur, and the month that WEB DuBois passed away, just to name a few. The significance of two Yuri Kochiyama memorials occurring during Black August speaks to the mainstay of her lifelong activism—U.S. political prisoners, especially African Americans.
On August 3, Oakland’s Scottish Rite Auditorium was the site of Yuri’s first Celebration of Life, as she spent the remaining years of her life in Oakland. 700 people, including family, friends, and her countless admirers, gathered for a two-hour program emceed by Warren Furutani. Some of the main highlights of the program were her son Eddie Kochiyama, who shared what it was like growing up with Yuri, Charlie Chin sang “Song for Aichi,” Nobuko Miyamoto read an impassioned letter from Mutulu Shakur (prison inmate for 28 years, world reknown for his successful use of acupuncture for drug detoxification), Somei Yoshino Taiko, dance, clips from three films that featured Yuri, and her New York great grandchildren—Leilani, Malia, Kenji, and Kai. Angela Davis’ tribute recounted what Yuri has meant to U.S. political prisoners, detailing Yuri’s personal qualities that have distinguished her as a life-long activist. Heartfelt tributes and remembrances from Karl Jagbandhansingh, Greg Morozumi, Peggy Saika, and Arisika Razak along with a jazz group featuring Kim Nalley on vocals singing “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free,” and a jazz/taiko number “Forever Yuri Blues” (Akira Tana, Bob Kenmotsu, Mark Izu, Tammy Lynne Hall, and Kenny Endo). Oakland bid farewell to Yuri with renewed inspiration to continue the never-ending work for social justice.
On August 31, the Aratani Theater of the JACCC (Japanese American Cultural and Community Center) was the site of LA’s celebration of life for Yuri. About 500 people gathered, including Yuri’s San Pedro relatives. Emceed again by Warren Furutani, LA’s program featured Aiko Yoshinaga-Herzig and Bibi Angola who gave remembrances of their many years of friendship and activism with Yuri in New York City. Musical tributes by Maceo Hernandez and ELA Taiko, Scott Nagatani and friends, Nobuko Miyamoto and friends, and June Kuramoto; Tracy Kato-Kiriyama gave a spoken word tribute, a video by Tad Nakamura featuring the Blue Scholars “I Wanna Be Like Yuri Kochiyama,” and a touching grandchildren statement given by Ryan Kochiyama. Eddie K. opened the program and Tommy K. gave the closing remarks.
The First Corinthian Baptist Church in New York City’s Harlem was the site of the final Celebration of Life for Yuri Kochiyama, September 27, 2014.
Final Harlem Celebration-of-Life
September 27 was the final farewell celebration-of-life at the First Corinthian Baptist Church in Yuri’s beloved Harlem of New York City. Emceed by Jamal Joseph, Yuri’s two eldest grandchildren Akemi and Zulu opened and closed the program. A special highlight was the tribute given by Attallah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s first daughter, who recounted seeing Yuri rush to the stage to keep Malcolm’s head from touching the floor, while grown men ran in the other direction. She was emotionally moved and her tribute signified the strong connection that will forever link the Kochiyama and Shabazz families.
Tomie Arai, Peter Wong, and Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele all gave uplifting remembrances of the role Yuri has played in different communities while an array of performers gave energizing performances (Soh Daiko, Taiyo Na and Magnetic North, Janice Robinson, Pua Ali’i’llima o Nuioka, and Jamal Joseph and Impact Repertory.) The celebration was especially bittersweet as granddaughter Akemi Kochiyama-Sardinha asked for a moment of silence for Herman Ferguson (longtime Harlem activist), Herman Lew (filmmaker and CCNY professor), and Wayne Lum (David Wong Support Committee), all close friends of Yuri who had passed recently.
Impact Repertory gave a rousing performance in tribute to Yuri Kochiyama.
All three programs drew out an array of people spanning perhaps five generations that were all touched by Yuri’s life work. Each gathering reunited many folks and deepened the ties to Yuri’s legacy of revolutionary struggle and human rights activism.
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