RESOLUTION
Tribute to the late Yuri Kochiyama
WHEREAS, Japanese-American Activist Yuri Kochiyama has gone to eternal rest at the age of 93; and
WHEREAS, Yuri Kochiyama was born in 1921 in San Pedro, California to a loving Japanese immigrant parents seeking great opportunity in an fair and open society; and
WHEREAS, that dream was unjustly disrupted during World War II when the U.S. Government forcibly relocated her family, along with 120,000 others of Japanese ancestry, in an internment camp in Jerome, Arkansas for two years; and
WHEREAS, it was during the struggle for basic human rights and human dignity within the internment camp which led Yuri to see the similarities between the treatment of Japanese-Americans in World War Two and African Americans in the Jim Crow South and urban poverty in the North that inspired her to dedicate her life to activism on behalf of marginalized communities; and
WHEREAS, Yuri leaves behind a legacy of courage and strength, and her lifelong passion for justice and dedication to social and racial justice continue to inspire so many today including the Asian-American community of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is inspired by her leadership and her unwavering commitment to building coalitions to remedy injustices and improve the quality of life and opportunities of all Americans, regardless of background; and
WHEREAS, the Honorable Ameya Pawar, Alderman of the 47th Ward and Chairman of the Chicago City Council Asian American Caucus, has informed this honorable body of the passing of Yuri Kochiyama
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Mayor and the members ofthe Chicago
City Council gathered together this 25th day of June, 2014 AD, do hereby express our sincerest
sorrow upon learning ofthe passing of Yuri Kochiyama and honor her legacy of life-long to ¦
dedication to the pursuit of social justice, not only for the Asian American, but for all.
communities of color in the United States; ~£'
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