#okinawan

When I introduced Buraku brethren to her, Yuri sat up in indignation, made a fist and thumped on her thigh and said “for decades I have met Japanese activists come through Harlem and read about Japan but I never ever heard anything about the injustice of the Buraku people. As someone of Japanese ancestry, I am enraged, and so ashamed of the Japanese government!” She turned to me and said thank you for bringing them over, she could not imagine not knowing about this reality. I will remember that moment so vividly for the rest of my life. For once we were not a threat to a Japanese in that moment, but to the injustice which we stood. She then went onto learning about Kazuo Ishikawa, Buraku victim of wrongful incarceration, the famed Japanese taiko drum making being a Buraku art, the many illiterate Japanese denied education as Buraku, and the ongoing hidden apartheid and discrimination condoned in society as a means of ‘keeping Japanese blood pure.’ I have had the privilege of delivering your solidarity messages through Buraku, as well as our Zainichi and Okinawan villages and know firsthand, you remain a steadfast icon of solidarity and friendship above and beyond the reach of Japanese imperial system (Tennousei) across the vast waters. I can almost hear the rejoicing of your coming by the countless 'comfort women’ grandmas you spoke for, joined by brothers and sisters from Puerto Rico to San Quentin… We will never forget your stories and your tenacity and commitment to justice and dignity of all people. Thank you ゆり。

Miho Kim is a Bay-Area-based Trans-Pacific Zainichi Corean activist. Former Executive Director, DataCenter for Research Justice and co-founder, Eclipse Rising and Japan Multicultural Relief Fund (JMRF)