Our Own People

[0] Christian nationalists want to turn America into a theocracy, a government under biblical rule.

[1] If they gain more power, it could mean fewer rights for you.

[2] I'm Heath Drusin, and on the new season of Extremely American, I'll take you inside the movement.

[3] Listen to Extremely American from Boise State Public Radio, part of the NPR network.

[4] A quick note before we get started, this episode contains descriptions of racial violence.

[5] The date was February 21st.

[6] It was a Sunday.

[7] Yuri and her oldest son, Billy, a teenager, were among the audience in the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem to listen to Malcolm, give his message.

[8] I think that whole week there was a lot of rumors going on.

[9] There something might happen to Malcolm.

[10] Brother Malcolm had the week before, had his house bombed.

[11] As many of you know, somebody threw some bombs inside my house.

[12] Normally, I wouldn't get excited over a few bombs.

[13] But the ones who threw these aimed them in room where three of my daughters sleep.

[14] One daughter six, one daughter four, and one daughter two.

[15] And on that day, February 21, 1965, when Brother Malcolm got up to speak, there was a distraction in the audience.

[16] One guy got up and said, get your hands out of my pocket, and they started fighting the tooth.

[17] And just then the gunfire went off, and his hand was up.

[18] I remember this.

[19] I turned around quickly, and the next thing I saw was Malcolm falling back in a dead faint.

[20] He fell back with gunshots to his chest.

[21] You know, cheers were being knocked over.

[22] There were screams.

[23] Everybody was in a mad, confused.

[24] And in this commotion, of course, everyone dumped for cover, including Yuri and her son, Billy.

[25] Malcolm's wife, Betty, and their young children were in the audience that day as well.

[26] But then Yuri saw someone run up to the stage to try to help Malcolm.

[27] And she brought out of her seat and followed him up on stage.

[28] And picked up his head and just put it up.

[29] on my lap.

[30] This was remarkable.

[31] Everybody was scared, trying to protect their own lives, which is completely understandable.

[32] And Yuri Kuchiyama runs onto stage.

[33] Places Malcolm's head on her lap and tries to offer some kind of comfort.

[34] People ask, what did he say?

[35] He didn't say anything.

[36] He was just having a difficult time breathing.

[37] What did you say to him?

[38] Please, Malcolm, please Malcolm, stay alive.

[39] In that fateful moment as Yuri Kuchiyama cradled Malcolm's head in her arms, a close associate of Malcolm X took a photo.

[40] It has an almost ethereal quality to it, the fallen warrior, eyes closed, wounds exposed, white shirt stained with blood, being held in the arms of a loved one, Yuri Kuchiyama.

[41] She's dressed in obwhack, kneeling on the ground, her back hunched over Malcolm, her hands holding up his head, and her eyes pointed down at his face.

[42] Looking at her, you get a sense of fear and panic, but also a certain gentleness and care.

[43] A couple weeks later, this photo ended up in the pages of Life magazine.

[44] But Yuri's name was nowhere to be found.

[45] And yet, why was this Asian woman in the room, right?

[46] And what does this say about Black Asian relations in any way?

[47] I think that those are some of the questions that we need to raise and ask.

[48] Yuri Kocciama dedicated her life to social justice for people of all backgrounds.

[49] She fought for Black liberation alongside Malcolm X, for Puerto Rican rights, alongside the young lords, for better labor practices among the working class.

[50] and she was instrumental in building the Asian -American movement.

[51] I'm Rand Abd al -Fattah.

[52] I'm Ramtin Arablui.

[53] And on this episode of ThruLine from NPR, the radical solidarity of Yuri Kochiama.

[54] The U .S. is grappling with increasing violence against Asian Americans, including the brutal killing of six Asian women in Atlanta and an elderly Thai man in San Francisco.

[55] There have been a number of incidents.

[56] recently of API elders, of Chinese elders, of Southeast Asian elders who have been walking in this community and have been attacked senselessly.

[57] It has raised long simmering questions about the treatment of Asian Americans, especially since the pandemic began last March.

[58] The avalanche of anti -Asian American hate crimes.

[59] Hate crimes against Asian Americans in major U .S. cities reportedly surged by nearly 150 percent in 2020.

[60] America, we have a problem.

[61] I find myself constantly thinking about what would Yuri do in this situation?

[62] This is Diane Fujino, professor of Asian American Studies at UC Santa Barbara, an author of the book, Heartbeat of Struggle, the Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiama.

[63] Yuri is always present with me. She not only dedicated her entire life to fierce political shows.

[64] struggle, but she was also somebody who tried to treat the individuals in the movement and in communities with great love, what we would call today collective care.

[65] Collective care, solidarity.

[66] That was at the heart of Yuri's work and how she lived her life.

[67] She allowed me to interview her multiple times.

[68] She invited me into her home.

[69] She tried to give me a key the first time I met her because she thought that I would be stuck outside in the cold in case she arrived home late from a meeting, and I refused to accept that key.

[70] But from the second time on that I visited her in Harlem, I would stay with her in her home.

[71] Diane often reflects on the conversations they would have, though wisdom Yuri would impart.

[72] Remember that consciousness is power.

[73] Tomorrow's world is yours to build.

[74] It's not going to be given to us, right?

[75] We have to demand it.

[76] We have to build it together.

[77] On the walls, I have all my heroes from Malcolm X, Fidel Castro, Patrice Lumumba, Che Guevara, Asada Shakur, all the people in my family, every one of them.

[78] Uri's legacy is complicated.

[79] On the one hand, she was a pioneer in the Asian American movement and supported freedom movements for many groups of people.

[80] But she also had controversial views on some things, including admiration for Mao Zedong and Osama bin Laden that stemmed from her radical opposition to American imperialism.

[81] Yuri was open to new ideas and perspectives throughout her life.

[82] She was constantly evolving and embodied different, sometimes uncomfortable values.

[83] So in this episode, we're going to journey into the life of Yuri Kochiang.

[84] to explore how she developed her complex worldview, what she thought about the Asian -American struggle, and what collective care can mean for all struggles.

[85] This is Rebecca from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

[86] You're listening to ThruLine from NPR.

[87] Support for this podcast and the following message come from Wise, the app that makes managing your money in different currencies easy.

[88] With Wise, you can send and spend money internationally at the mid -market exchange rate.

[89] no guesswork and no hidden fees.

[90] Learn more about how Wise could work for you at Wise .com.

[91] Support for NPR and the following message come from the Lemelson Foundation, dedicated to improving lives through invention, innovation, and climate action.

[92] Part 1.

[93] Then Came War I was red, white, and blue.

[94] When I was growing up, I taught Sunday school and was very, very American.

[95] But I was also very provincial.

[96] We were just kids rooting for our high school.

[97] This is the voice of actress Sandra O., who you might know from shows like Grey's Anatomy or Killing Eve.

[98] She's reciting an essay by Yuri Kuchiyama from 1991, called Then Came the War.

[99] I was 19.

[100] I just finished junior college.

[101] I was looking for a job.

[102] And didn't realize how different the school world is from the world.

[103] In the school world, I never felt racism.

[104] But when you got to be a job, into the work world, it was very difficult.

[105] Lots of people, especially Asian American women, have recited this essay over the decades.

[106] It takes you back to a different time in U .S. history.

[107] It was 1941, just before the war.

[108] I finally did get a job at a department store.

[109] For us, back then, it was a big thing because I don't think that they had ever hired an Asian in the department store before.

[110] Thank you.

[111] In 1941, gas was 19 cents a gallon.

[112] This is Orson Wells.

[113] I'm speaking for the Mercury Theater.

[114] And what follows is supposed to advertise our first motion picture.

[115] Citizen Kane is the title.

[116] Citizen Kane was debuting in theaters.

[117] And of course, the U .S. was inching towards war.

[118] You know, I was so pro -U

[119].S. I

[120] think

[121] because I

[122] had a

[123] good