Rhi Kochiyama Cultural Event

The cultural event that I went to and reviewed was the Remembering Yuri Kochiyama Through Grassroots Art exhibit that was held in Cross Cultural Center. The event was basically a tribute to Yuri Kochiyama and how she helped contribute greatly to both African American and Japanese American liberation movements through some artwork displayed in the exhibit. Yuri Kochiyama was a Japanese American activist who spoke out against the harms against not only the Japanese Americans but to also African Americans. The event itself was not as big as I expected, as it was only one table of some artwork in the center but, those few pieces of art was just enough for me to learn more about who Yuri Kochiyama really was and what she believed was right or wrong.
Although being a very small exhibit, the artwork itself was very compelling in many

ways. Some of the artwork consisted of quotes from different people inputting their opinion on Yuri Kochiyama and the type of person she was and the type of work she actually did. For example, one artwork by A’Misa Chiu portrayed Yuri Kochiyama with an open mind and with buildings in it and she also had her fist held high. The drawing included a quote by Yuri Kochiyama that said, “Because you are young and have dreams and want to do something meaningful, that in itself, makes you our future and our hope. Keep expanding your horizon, decolonize your mind, and cross borders.” This particular drawing I felt really compelled by because of the fact that it talks about the young and how Yuri Kochiyama herself felt as if the young are the future and that we should invest our time to try and stop the continuous segregation between different people. That idea by her I felt is a continuous idea that flows through a lot of her quotes and is something she firmly believes in. I personally feel inspired and glad that someone like Yuri Kochiyama put so much of her faith into the young people because she knew that we are the future and that only through our actions and our minds can we actually make a difference in the world.
As I continued going through the exhibit I was hit with something unexpected that I learned about Yuri Kochiyama.

I learned that she not only fought for her own people’s rights and freedom but, she also fought for the rights and liberation of African Americans. For example, in one artwork in the exhibit by Irena Li, it portrays Yuri Kochiyama and Li states that, “She avidly spoke, served, and advocated not only as an Asian-American, but as a passionate proponent for diversity and true interculturalism. Thank you for your voice, your vibrant presence, and your lifetime of inspiration, Yuri Kochiyama. Rest in peace and power!” This came as a shock to me because I tend to believe that usually people tend to fight for a certain group of people and the freedom of only those people but, not only did Yuri Kochiyama fight for the rights of Japanese Americans but she also fought for the rights of African Americans. That I believe shows a lot about her character and how she was selfless and cared about other people. That to me is extremely courageous and powerful and that is something people should look up to by using Yuri Kochiyama as

inspiration.
Throughout the exhibit I continuously noticed one theme from Chicano studies that can be connected to the Yuri Kochiyama exhibit was intersectionality. The different artwork and quotes that I saw in the exhibit showed me that intersectionality is a reality. It connects to Chicanas/Latinas because of the fact that not only do Chicana/Latina woman face discriminations or racism but also do the women of other different kinds of ethnicities or races. Of course it’s horrible when any one type of person faces some sort of discrimination or racism but when you are both a women and of a race other than white it seems as if they have to face much more than a man does. For example, the text “Lupe’s Song’: On the Origins of Mexican American Woman- Hating in the United States” by Deena J. Gonzalez, Gonzalez talks about ‘Lupe’s Song’ and how it was created by a a fraternity in a college. The song itself depicts this character ‘Lupe’ as a whore and being of Mexican descent. That story shows a perfect example how women have to face not only racism for not being of the ‘superior’ race but also face misogyny and dehumanization for being a woman. So because of this, it shows more bravery and courage on the part of Yuri Kochiyama because of the fact that in her times of activism she had to face more barriers because of who she was.
In Conclusion, after having gone through the whole exhibit and really taking in the artwork and the quotes I knew that the experience of going to that exhibit was a special one and of course I recommend it to anyone. I feel like that exhibit did a great job at highlighting many of Yuri Kochiyama’s beliefs but it also showed her impact because of the way people drew her out to be and the types of things that were said about her. All in all, the exhibit was a great experience that really brought you back to how things were back then and the types of problems both man and woman and of different races had to deal with. Yuri Kochiyama was a symbolic and courageous woman who fought for a majority of her life for not only her own people but also for the other races including the African Americans and that in itself, I feel as if shows a lot about the type of person Yuri Kochiyama was and how she will be sorely missed.