In this inaugural episode of ReDiscovering Black and Asian Solidarity, hosts Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz and Dr. Judy Yu sit down with scholar-activist Akemi Kochiyama. As the co-director of the Yuri Kochiyama Solidarity Project and granddaughter of legendary human rights activist Yuri Kochiyama, Akemi shares her deeply personal journey growing up at the crossroads of Black and Asian movement histories. The conversation reveals how grassroots organizing, family legacies, and cultural memory serve as powerful tools to interrupt divisive media narratives and build transformative movements today.

Highlights

• Intergenerational Roots of Resistance: Akemi details her upbringing in Harlem and Queensbridge public housing, surrounded by community leaders including her grandmothers Yuri Kochiyama and Khadijah Muhammad, as well as Black Panther Party family members.

• Yuri Kochiyama & Malcolm X: Akemi shares her grandmother's political trajectory—from Japanese American wartime incarceration to moving to Harlem in 1960, joining the Organization of Afro-American Unity, and fostering internationalist solidarity alongside Malcolm X.

• Nurturing Scholars of Color: Reflecting on her time at Spelman College, Akemi discusses studying under groundbreaking Black feminists like Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall and Dr. Gloria Wade-Gayles, who taught her to "claim her space" intellectually.

• Practicing Intersectionality: Connecting her anthropological research with Leith Mullings to community activism, Akemi highlights how intersectionality grounds work in mutual aid, welfare reform, and public health.

• Public Art & Archival Memory: Akemi highlights the "From Harlem With Love" mural on Old Broadway and her contributions to written history as essential strategies for centering marginalized voices against state erasure.

Featured Resources & Links

• Anthology: We Are Each Other's Liberation: Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities, edited by Rachel Kou and Jamie Swift.

• Community Art: "From Harlem With Love" Yuri & Malcolm X Mural (Old Broadway between 125th & 126th St, Harlem).

• Archival Resources: Visit yurikochiyama.com for historical timelines and access to archives at UCLA and Columbia University.

The views expressed in this episode are solely those of the speaker to whom they are attributed. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty, administration, staff or Trustees either of Teachers College or of Columbia University.