Kochiyama Archives Launch / Conference –

Claiming Our Shared Histories and Struggles: Radical Solidarities in the Kochiyama Archives
Dates: May 16-18, 2025
Location: Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (Harlem, NY)

Overview:
Claiming Our Shared Histories and Struggles: Radical Solidarities in the Kochiyama Archives celebrates the official launch of the Yuri and Bill Kochiyama Papers at Columbia University’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Library. Claiming our Shared Histories and Struggles will be a 3-day interdisciplinary conference (May 16-18) featuring presentations, panels and performances, access to the Kochiyama Papers and community-building opportunities.

Focusing on some of the richest areas of the Yuri and Bill Kochiyama Papers (re: Yuri’s work with Malcolm X, movements for Black, Asian, Latino, and indigenous peoples’ liberation, human rights, reparations and against war, imperialism and the prison industrial complex over the last half of the 20th century), Claiming our Shared Histories and Struggles will enable students, educators, activists, artists and community organizers to engage with examples of radical solidarity movements and struggles for liberation past and present and also to connect, share and learn about each other’s work.

Friday, May 16, 2025

• Walking Tours in Harlem
• Opening Performance (Soh Daiko) & Keynote (Dr. Orisanmi Burton)

Saturday, May 17, 2025

• Session I: Discussion on Yuri Kochiyama’s political journey and influences
  ​Akemi Kochiyama, Tamara Payne, Denise Lim, Lisa Beyeler-Yvarra and Aukram Burton in conversation about the making of a radical anti-imperialist/archivist (19421963) and the impacts of the Executive Order 9066, moving to Harlem post-WWII, meeting Malcolm X, attending Freedom School and other experiences on Yuri Kochiyama9s political and personal praxes.
• Session II: Exploration of BIPOC movements and cultural expressions in the 1960s-1970s. Taiyo Na in conversation with Jamal Joseph and Tomie Arai about the 1960s1970s – art and cultural expressions of identity, united BIPOC movements for liberation and struggles for civil rights, ethnic studies and against American imperialism abroad. [Featuring presentation and dance performance by Morgan Marcell]
• Session III: Conversations on Black radicalism and the legacy of political prisoners. Orisanmi Burton in conversation with Lumumba Bandele and K9Sisay Sadiki about Black radicalism, prison repression, correspondence, political prisoners and the struggle. [Featuring performance by K9Sisay Sadiki]
• Final Session: Presentations on current collaborations and community-building efforts: 

Sunday, May 18, 2025

• Closing performance/presentation (Aisha Fukushima)
• Breakouts/Working Groups