It’s Black History Month. During this month we celebrate black leaders throughout history who have helped to inspire and create change in America. However, there are some people that we often neglect to mention in the history books – specifically, Yuri Kochiyama and Richard Aoki. Aoki and Kochiyama were extraordinary civil rights activists that deserve to be in the spotlight for their selfless work and I will attempt to shed some light on just who they were.

Yuri Kochiyama was born was born Mary Yuriko Nakahara on May 19, 1921 in San Pedro, California. She grew up in a relatively affluent household in a predominately white neighborhood. She attended San Pedro High School and Compton Junior College which she graduated from in 1941. It was in December of that year that her life completely changed. The Japanese Empire bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Soon after, her father was arrested by the FBI as they considered him a suspect who could threaten national security. Her father was sick and had just been released from the hospital when the FBI had arrested. While in prison he was not given medical care and died a day after his release on January 20th 1942. Following his death, Yuri and her mother and brother were ordered to evacuate their home and were sent to an internment camp for three years. It was at the internment camp that she met her future husband, Bill Kochiyama.

In 1948 she moved to Harlem, New York. It was here that she joined the Harlem Parents Committee and began her activism work. She became acquainted with Malcolm X and was a member of his Organization of Afro-American Unity. She was present at Malcolm X’s assassination and held him in her arms as he died. She formed a bond with Malcolm as she saw African-Americans were oppressed just as the Japanese were.

Kochiyama was also apart of the Puerto Rican Independence movement and the Asian-American movement that grew during and after the Vietnam War. She was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. She passed away on June 1st, 2014.

Richard Aoki was a Japanese American civil rights activist and an early member of the Black Panther Party. He befriended the creators, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, while attending Merritt College. Aoki helped to organize some of the group’s first rallies against police brutality and gave the groups guns from his personal collection for protection. Aoki was special in that he was able to link the struggles of the African-American community with those of the Asian-American community, creating a well-needed unity. He also was a fervent anti-war protester throughout his active years. Aoki passed away on March 15th, 2009 at age 70.