Contributing editor Lydia Lum introduces a civil rights activist who was new to me and may be for many of you as well. In “Working Outside the System,” Lydia chronicles the life and activism of Yuri Kochiyama, a Japanese-American woman who was inspired by Malcolm X and was present in the ballroom when he was assassinated in 1965. Now 84, Kochiyama has spent much of her life trying to build coalitions between Blacks and Asians in the United States.
Lastly, assistant editor Kendra Hamilton in “From Then to Now,” a humorous yet thought-provoking essay, uses Black History Month and “Daphne,” a composite of young family members, as the context to illustrate some of the cultural confusion that seems to exist within the Black community. Perhaps Black History Month has turned a bit commercial, she says, but should we abandon it as the Academy award-winning actor Morgan Freeman suggested on “60 Minutes” recently? Don’t even think of it, Kendra says.
“Black History Month reminds us of habits that we break at our peril. It reminds us of the value of looking at ourselves as a collective, particularly when assimilation pressures are so intent that the focus stay resolutely individual,” Kendra says.
Hilary Hurd Anyaso
Editor
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
