Rafu Staff Report
A benefit performance of “When Yuri Met Malcolm” was presented by East West Players at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Little Tokyo on Sept. 13.
The play explores the legacy of Yuri Kochiyama (1921-2014) through her friendship with Malcolm X (1925-1965), tracing her journey from Japanese American incarceration camps to a lifetime of activism. It asks the question: What does it mean to be a citizen of a flawed country, and how much can one person do to change it?
The two, who shared the same birthday (May 19), first met in 1963 in Brooklyn and began a 16-month alliance that linked the Black Power movement with Asian American and global anti-imperialist struggles. In 1964, Kochiyama introduced Malcolm to survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Erik Orjiako and Pauline Yasuda take a bow after their performance.
Malcolm sent postcards to Kochiyama detailing his personal evolution and thoughts during his Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964.
Kochiyama witnessed Malcolm’s assassination on Feb. 21, 1965 at Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom. A photo of her cradling his head in her arms as he lay dying appeared in Life magazine.
In the decades that followed, Kochiyama advocated for various civil rights and human rights causes, including redress for Japanese Americans incarcerated by the government during World War II. Not only a pillar of the Asian American movement, she also fought for Black liberation and the rights of political prisoners.
EWP’s Theatre for Youth has been presenting the play — written by Rosie Narasaki and directed by Khalif J. Gillett — to young audiences at schools and libraries in the greater Los Angeles area. The benefit performance featured Pauline Yasuda as Kochiyama and Erik Orjiako as Malcolm.
Yasuda, who briefly addressed the audience after the show, was previously seen in two other Theatre for Youth Productions: “Tam Tran Goes to Washington,” the true story of a UCLA senior who finds herself thrust into the spotlight when her undocumented status draws her into the fight for the DREAM Act; and “Patsy,” the story of the late Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink of Hawaii, the first woman of color elected to Congress.
Other actors featured in ongoing performances of “When Yuri Met Malcolm” are Rachel K. Han and Weiyi Zhang as Kochiyama and David Scott Greene and Joseph Henderson as Malcolm.
The benefit performance was introduced by EWP Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal and actress/playwright Jeanne Sakata.
Taking part in a post-show panel discussion on the significance of the play were Dr. Juli Grigsby, associate professor of ethnic studies at Long Beach City College; Dr. Stef Lira, organizer with Pilipinos in Education for Community Action, a board member of Filipino Migrant Center, and professor of ethnic studies at LBCC; and Alisa Pimentel, consulting instructor and West Coast coordinator at The Asian American Education Project.
Jade Cagalawan, EWP’s director of arts education and professional enrichment, served as moderator, filling in for the scheduled moderator, May Lee. Cagalawan also gave an overview of the Theater for Youth program.
Teaching artists Sol Joun, Newton Kaneshiro and Stephanie Lee performed excerpts from EWPlay!, a residency program that brings EWP programming to local schools, especially those without other arts education funding.
A dessert reception catered by Far Bar was held in the Aratani Courtyard.
Upcoming Performances
Thursday, Oct. 22, 4 to 5 p.m. at El Sereno Branch Library, 5226 Huntington Dr. S., Los Angeles
Thursday, Nov. 5, 4 to 5 p.m. at Venice-Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library, 501 S. Venice Blvd., Los Angeles
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Baldwin Hills Branch Library, 2906 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 4 to 5 p.m. at Westwood Branch Library, 1246 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Chinatown Branch Library, 639 N. Hill St., Los Angeles
Info: www.eastwestplayers.org/wymm
The show is open to all schools, nonprofits, libraries, and other groups. For booking inquiries, email jcagalawan@eastwestplayers.org.