Yuri Kochiyama

Yuri Kochiyama

Yuri Kochiyama (May 19, 1921 – June 1, 2014) was a Japanese American human rights activist. She is notable as one of the few prominent non-black Black separatists. Influenced by Marxism, Maoism, and the thoughts of Malcolm X, she was an advocate for many revolutionary movements. She's very cool

Quotes

• The goal of the war [on terrorism] is more than just getting oil and fuel. The United States is intent on taking over the world... It's important we all understand that the main terrorist and the main enemy of the world's people is the U.S. government. Racism has been a weakness of this country from its beginning. Throughout history, all people of color, and all people who don't see eye-to-eye with the U.S. government have been subject to American terror.
  • Diane Carol Fujino (2005). Heartbeat of Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama. U of Minnesota Press. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-8166-4593-0.  ; In response to the United States' actions following the September 11 attacks in 2001.

"Yuri Kochiyama, On War, Imperialism, Osama bin Laden, And Black-Asian Politic," 2003

Yuri Kochiyama (2003) in "Yuri Kochiyama, On War, Imperialism, Osama bin Laden, And Black-Asian Politic," at indymedia.org, Friday, Oct. 17, 2003;

• I consider Osama bin Laden as one of the people that I admire. To me, he is in the category of Malcolm X, Che Guevara, Patrice Lumumba, Fidel Castro, all leaders that I admire ... [who] had severe dislike for the US government and those who held power in the US. I think all of them felt the US government and its spokesmen were all arrogant, racist, hypocritical, self-righteous, and power hungry..... You asked, 'Should freedom fighters support him?' Freedom fighters all over the world, and not just in the Muslim world, don’t just support him; they revere him; they join him in battle. He is no ordinary leader or an ordinary Muslim.
  • Cited in: Janell Ross. "Google commemorates a very controversial civil-rights figure, Yuri Kochiyama" at washingtonpost.com, May 19, 2016.

• When I think what the US military is doing, brazenly bombing country after country, to take oil resources, bringing about coups, assassinating leaders of other countries, and pitting neighbor nations against each other, and demonizing anyone who disagrees with US policy, and detaining and deporting countless immigrants from all over the world, I thank Islam for bin Laden. America’s greed, aggressiveness, and self-righteous arrogance must be stopped. War and weaponry must be abolished.
  • Yuri Kochiyama thanked Islam for Osama bin Laden and his actions against the United States

Quotes about

• Throughout this book, Martínez reminds readers again and again of why we should balance the wisdom of experience with the fire of youth and honor both perspectives. So many great leaders have boldly embodied this ethic, from the recently departed such as Yuri Kochiyama, Grace Lee Boggs, and Cedric Robinson, to those who carry on like Jamala Rogers, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, and Betita Martinez herself.
  • Karma R. Chávez, Introduction to the 2017 edition of De Colores Means All of Us by Elizabeth Martinez