HARLEM — A pair of civil rights icons and friends will stand side-by-side in a mural being unveiled in Harlem this weekend.
Both Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama are considered revolutionary figures in the civil rights movement — though the former is much more widely known.
But a group of artists and community organizers created "From Harlem With Love," specifically to focus on the work of Kochiyama, which was greatly influenced by Malcolm.
Both activists have roots in Harlem. Malcolm spent some of his formative years in the neighborhood, while Yuri lived in the Manhattanville Houses for about 40 years and used her apartment as a space for community meetings in the 1960s.
“We want the community to know that old Japanese lady you saw waving at you outside and was very friendly, we want everyone to know who she actually was,” said Frances Perez, a co-organizer in the mural dedication.
Kochiyama, who was held at internment camps with her family and other Japanese-Americans during World War II, spent a large part of her life fighting for social justice and human rights.
She was also photographed in TIME magazine cushioning Malcolm's head the day he was assassinated in 1965.
After she died in 2014, there was talk among local organizers of celebrating her life of activism, Perez said.
Over the past 15 months, community members raised more than $9,000 for the project.
Kochiyama’s family was closely involved in the project and provided postcards and notes she wrote to Malcolm, which helped to build the design which will be unveiled at the corner of 125th Street and Old Broadway.
“We read different excerpts and speeches from the individuals, tying it into their two lives and talking to people who love Harlem and them,” said Perez.
She said it represents a bridge between the houses to calm tensions and promote unity, just as the two figures would have wanted for the community.
Perez referenced a large-scale gang raid in 2014, where more than 100 suspected Harlem gang members were indicted on charges stemming from a deadly rivalry between Grant Houses and Manhattanville Houses.
The rivalry resulted in the 2011 shooting death of basketball star Tayshana "Chicken" Murphy.
Yuri was about “building bridges and not walls,” Perez said.
The mural features large paintings of the two, with a bridge between them connected by a planet.
The mural, she said, is an ode to Harlem’s activist roots as well as how these two came together to fight back against injustice.
“Her message is still very relevant today,” she said.
“It’s telling people, ‘Yeah that happened and you should know that that happened’.”
The mural is located at the northeast corner of 125th St. and Old Broadway. A dedication ceremony is planned for Oct. 23 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
