Yuri & Malcolm Mural Dedication Ceremony

Sunday, October 23 at 125th St. and Old Broadway in Harlem


On Sunday in New York, you are invited to a dedication ceremony for new mural in honor of legendary activists and friends Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X. Over a year and a half in the making, the community mural will be unveiled on Sunday, October 23 at the corner of 125th St. and Old Broadway in Harlem.

Here are some more details about the dedication:

A Birthday Celebration & Mural Launch for Yuri & Malcolm

Thursday, May 19 the Manhattanville Community Center



On Thursday evening in New York, in celebration of the birthdays of both Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X -- they shared the same birthday, May 19 -- a new mural design dedicated to the two civil rights icons and friends will be revealed for community discussion and dialogue. The family-friendly event will also feature art-making activities and performances.

It's happening Thursday, May 19 at the Manhattanville Community Center. Here are some more details:

Fund This: A Mural for Yuri & Malcolm

A mural project inspired by the lives, legacies, and friendship between Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X.



"From Harlem With Love: A Mural for Yuri and Malcolm" is a mural project led by artists and activists inspired by the lives, legacies, and deep friendship between Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X.

The mural project, also led by the family of Yuri Kochiyama, will include film screenings, educational programs, artist visioning sessions, and a series of community mural painting days culminating in a mural of Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X in Harlem, New York City -- where their legacies were formed and live on.

To make this happen, they need your help! Make a donation here. This a 100% grassroots effort, and they're putting it all together without any corporate, foundation, or other economic support. This is a project, of, by, and for the people, and will only happen with true community support.

Yuri Kochiyama, A Real American Hero

Here's a great profile on long-time social justice activist Yuri Kochiyama, who turns 87 years old today: Oakland activist keeps spirit of revolution strong. She's definitely one of my heroes, a true inspiration in the fight for justice and fairness for all. What an amazing woman.

Today also happens to be Malcolm X's birthday, and for many, Kochiyama might be most well-known as the woman who cradled Malcolm X in her lap after he was shot, on February 21, 1965, during a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. Malcolm X's message had a profound impact on her own activist ideology, one of self-determination for all people, and her involvement in African American struggles helped lay the groundwork for the Asian American movement in the late '60s.

Without a doubt, she's a real pioneer. But what amazes me most is that at age 87, she's still going strong, active as ever in social justice causes and passing that fire along to younger generations. Much respect.