Yuri Lives On
After Yuri Kochiyama’s passing on June 1, 2014, her life was celebrated at three public memorials located in Oakland, Los Angeles, and Harlem; providing an opportunity for thousands of people who were connected to her throughout her 60 years of activism to honor her legacy and contributions.
One of her great-granddaughters, Kai Naima Williams, shared the following eulogy during one of her memorial services:
“When I was 12 years old, I found out that my great-grandmother was a superhero. But having grown up a little, I think I know better now that my grandmother was not a superhero, but a person who possessed the ability to empathize and recognize the humanity of all people… Her origin story was so humble and yet she knew the changes she wished to see and she made gigantic strides to achieve them. It seemed she just fell seamlessly into the movement, and rose to the top. But I think differently now because how could we all be Yuri?
The drive she had, the understanding, and the lack of hatred or bias probably cannot be possessed by just anyone. Instead, I hope that we can all learn from each other the way Yuri spoke of learning from others… If we could learn from one another and to raise each other up the way Yuri did, perhaps then we could truly emulate the incredible person she was.”
Yuri Kochiyama’s activism has ripple effects that lives on and inspires through the generations of her family and youth she mentored as they embark on their own journeys of consciousness and political engagement.
