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Jacuma
World revolution against Whitey’s world takeover
0
by Ra’shida
Born in 1922, Yuri Kochiyama is a woman warrior who has suffered and lived through the amerikkkan Japanese concentration camps during World War II and has turned her experiences of slavery into ammunition to fight against this white supremacist terrorist regime.
Kochiyama mentored under Malcolm X and was at the ballroom the day he was assassinated. She worked with the Black Panthers and on freeing such political prisoners as Mutulu Shakur, the New York Panther 21, Sundiata Acoli and Assata Shakur. She not only worked on Black Liberation causes but with Puerto Rican and Native American movements. And these are just some of the things she has been involved in.
Take some time to read what Yuri Kochiyama has to say about the amerikkkan government and its crimes ...
Ra’shida: How do the actions of the U.S. today remind you about its history?
Kochiyama: It reminds me that the U.S. has not changed from the beginning of its birth. This government has always been about aggression, expansion, plotting coups, assassination, annexation and warring for lands. Also, it’s about demonizing any person or country that doesn’t agree with the U.S. It distorts and lies, fabricating when necessary.
Ra’shida: Can you give some examples of U.S. aggression, expansion, annexation and wars?
Kochiyama: The U.S. government and its soldiers practically annihilated the indigenous people here from coast to coast and then placed those who survived in reservations in the worst parts of this country. Then the U.S. opportunistically declared war on Mexico around the 1850s, and took about 50 percent of Mexico’s land. What is today Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada once belonged to Mexico. Also, in 1893, the U.S. overthrew Hawaii, which was a proud, independent kingdom - destroyed their way of life, annexed the islands and, in 1950, imposed statehood.
Ra’shida: Can you name other incidences of U.S. bigotry affecting people of color globally?
Kochiyama: In the 1800s, this young, U.S. military \"mite\" had clashes around the world, from Sumatra, China, Greece, Nicaragua, Japan, Korea, Panama, Egypt, Samoa, Argentina, Cuba, Guam, Philippines. And also during that period, U.S. was chasing and massacring Indians all over this country, one Indian nation after another.
Ra’shida: Where did you get such information?
Kochiyama: I just ds. Also, it’s about demonizing any person or country that doesn’t agree with the U.S. It distorts and lies, fabricating when necessary.
Ra’shida: Can you give some examples of U.S. aggression, expansion, annexation and wars?
Kochiyama: The U.S. government and its soldiers practically annihilated the indigenous people here from coast to coast and then placed those who survived in reservations in the worst parts of this country. Then the U.S. opportunistically declared war on Mexico around the 1850s, and took about 50 percent of Mexico’s land. What is today Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada once belonged to Mexico. Also, in 1893, the U.S. overthrew Hawaii, which was a proud, independent kingdom - destroyed their way of life, annexed the islands and, in 1950, imposed statehood.
Ra’shida: Can you name other incidences of U.S. bigotry affecting people of color globally?
Kochiyama: In the 1800s, this young, U.S. military \"mite\" had clashes around the world, from Sumatra, China, Greece, Nicaragua, Japan, Korea, Panama, Egypt, Samoa, Argentina, Cuba, Guam, Philippines. And also during that period, U.S. was chasing and massacring Indians all over this country, one Indian nation after another.
Ra’shida: Where did you get such information?
Kochiyama: I just received a brilliantly researched book called \"On the Justice of Roosting Chickens\" by the famous American Indian professor, Ward Churchill, of the University of Colorado. In his stunning book, he chronicles every American military action from 1776 to 2003. Churchill is amazing. I don’t know if there’s any other book that could equal what Churchill has revealed. It shows the real essence of U.S.’s unwarranted, odious character.
Ra’shida: What about the U.S. and slavery of Black people?
Kochiyama: U.S. hates to be reminded of her involvement in the trans-Atlantic slavery of Africans. But at the World Conference Against Racism, the African slave trade was considered the most appalling tragedy in the history of humanity. It was a manifestation of racism, barbarism and the negation of the humanity of the victims.
Ra’shida: What do you think about reparations?
Kochiyama: As in Victor Hugo’s quote, \"Nothing is more powerful than the idea whose time has come.\" And reparation for all the heinous crimes and injustices that Africans experienced and endured should be a historical moment today. The time has come when the hidden aspects of history must be revealed.
And African people in the U.S. must demand indemnity for the physical, emotional and psychological injuries and injustices - denigration, humiliation, segregation, stigmatizing anreceived a brilliantly researched book called \"On the Justice of Roosting Chickens\" by the famous American Indian professor, Ward Churchill, of the University of Colorado. In his stunning book, he chronicles every American military action from 1776 to 2003. Churchill is amazing. I don’t know if there’s any other book that could equal what Churchill has revealed. It shows the real essence of U.S.’s unwarranted, odious character.
Ra’shida: What about the U.S. and slavery of Black people?
Kochiyama: U.S. hates to be reminded of her involvement in the trans-Atlantic slavery of Africans. But at the World Conference Against Racism, the African slave trade was considered the most appalling tragedy in the history of humanity. It was a manifestation of racism, barbarism and the negation of the humanity of the victims.
Ra’shida: What do you think about reparations?
Kochiyama: As in Victor Hugo’s quote, \"Nothing is more powerful than the idea whose time has come.\" And reparation for all the heinous crimes and injustices that Africans experienced and endured should be a historical moment today. The time has come when the hidden aspects of history must be revealed.
And African people in the U.S. must demand indemnity for the physical, emotional and psychological injuries and injustices - denigration, humiliation, segregation, stigmatizing and physical abuses - that African people suffered through countless generations. These vestiges of indignities still remain.
Reparations for Blacks in America must be compensated that there will never again be such a crime against humanity. Slavery must be outlawed.
Ra’shida: What do you think of Americans?
Kochiyama: I don’t want to lump every American in the same bag, but I think that this government and their leaders must be criticized for its arrogance, greed, white superiority and lies. If it wasn’t for the Black struggle in this country, America would even be a more shameful example.
Ra’shida: Did you always feel this way about this country?
Kochiyama: No, I was once a docile red, white, blue American, but the more I learned the truth of this country’s history, the more critical I became.
Ra’shida: Who do you give credit for helping you perceive the reality of this country?
Kochiyama: I credit and thank and feel indebted to the one person who changed my life the most: Malcolm X. He has done so to countless thousands of people, not just here in this country, but all over the world.
He had the courage, boldness, intellect and principle to teach truth, despite come-what-may. And because of his commitment, not only to African people, but to all humanity, was the reason he was killed physical abuses - that African people suffered through countless generations. These vestiges of indignities still remain.
Reparations for Blacks in America must be compensated that there will never again be such a crime against humanity. Slavery must be outlawed.
Ra’shida: What do you think of Americans?
Kochiyama: I don’t want to lump every American in the same bag, but I think that this government and their leaders must be criticized for its arrogance, greed, white superiority and lies. If it wasn’t for the Black struggle in this country, America would even be a more shameful example.
Ra’shida: Did you always feel this way about this country?
Kochiyama: No, I was once a docile red, white, blue American, but the more I learned the truth of this country’s history, the more critical I became.
Ra’shida: Who do you give credit for helping you perceive the reality of this country?
Kochiyama: I credit and thank and feel indebted to the one person who changed my life the most: Malcolm X. He has done so to countless thousands of people, not just here in this country, but all over the world.
He had the courage, boldness, intellect and principle to teach truth, despite come-what-may. And because of his commitment, not only to African people, but to all humanity, was the reason he was killed. He was killed by a country that would never allow a man of his stature, especially a Black man, to become such a strong, inspiring political messiah.
We, who were fortunate to hear his profound and eloquent teaching, should carry on what Malcolm began: a campaign to bring about what America never could - a world where freedom, justice and equality would be a reality. We must abolish U.S. aggressions and the danger of a world holocaust. Whatever our background, we must also fight for Black Reparation.
Ra’shida: Can you talk about some of the political prisoner work you do?
Kochiyama: My main thing is political prisoners. I am working on Mumia. He is in a dangerous situation. The court is not allowing the confessions of the real killer, Arnold Beverly, and it also does not want to allow the affidavit of his former lawyer, Racheal Wilkinstein, and that affidavit is one of the most compelling and powerful statements that can free Mumia.
We really need to have a nationwide, worldwide support for Mumia right now. There will be a mass demonstration for Mumia on April 24, 2004, on his birthday. We hope people will come all out in support of Mumia across the country.
Two of the most amazing leaders are Mutulu Shakur and Assata Shakur. Assata’s audacity for doing the kinds of things she has done has inspired women and men in the movement - but esd. He was killed by a country that would never allow a man of his stature, especially a Black man, to become such a strong, inspiring political messiah.
We, who were fortunate to hear his profound and eloquent teaching, should carry on what Malcolm began: a campaign to bring about what America never could - a world where freedom, justice and equality would be a reality. We must abolish U.S. aggressions and the danger of a world holocaust. Whatever our background, we must also fight for Black Reparation.
Ra’shida: Can you talk about some of the political prisoner work you do?
Kochiyama: My main thing is political prisoners. I am working on Mumia. He is in a dangerous situation. The court is not allowing the confessions of the real killer, Arnold Beverly, and it also does not want to allow the affidavit of his former lawyer, Racheal Wilkinstein, and that affidavit is one of the most compelling and powerful statements that can free Mumia.
We really need to have a nationwide, worldwide support for Mumia right now. There will be a mass demonstration for Mumia on April 24, 2004, on his birthday. We hope people will come all out in support of Mumia across the country.
Two of the most amazing leaders are Mutulu Shakur and Assata Shakur. Assata’s audacity for doing the kinds of things she has done has inspired women and men in the movement - but especially women. Assata had that incredible passion and optimism, and she was a dynamic writer.
Shaka At-Thinnin of the Black August Committee is an amazing person and is well informed, because he himself has gone through the dungeon and has gone through all the humiliation in prison. He is a great speaker and leader in the Bay Area for work with political prisoners.
I admire Mutulu very much because he was my acupuncturist. He served the Harlem community with his skills in acupuncture practically free. He hardly charged anything. He helped turn a lot of people around, especially those who were on drugs or alcohol. He was also a mentor with the Republic of New Africa. He taught Black history to the RNA citizens. Political prisoners like Mutulu must never be forgotten.
Email Ra’shida at rashida@sfbayview.com.
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