Aoki

(USA, 2009, 94 mins, Video)

Producers/Editors/Cinematographers: Ben Wang, Mike Cheng
Music: Nick James

In Person: Ben Wang, Michael Cheng

“The struggle for freedom, justice and equality transcends racial and ethnic barriers.”—Huey Newton This nimbly crafted documentary presents a moving portrait of the life of Richard Aoki (1938 – 2009), a third-generation Japanese American best known for being a founding member of the Black Panther Party. Filmed over the last five years of his life, AOKI combines intimate interviews with Aoki, his friends and fellow Panthers, with rare historical footage to provide a glimpse into the political actions and activist movements that have become Bay Area legend. Richard Aoki’s political education began at age four when his family was uprooted to a Japanese American internment camp. It continued four years later when his family was relocated to West Oakland, where he witnessed the impacts of racism and segregation on the African American community, and then during his time in the U.S. military, as he became critical of the Vietnam War. It was at Oakland’s Merritt College, however, that he developed friendships with Black Panther Party founders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Working as the low-profile field marshal and military trainer for the then-nascent organization, he would become instrumental in its rise. AOKI also highlights the impact he made on the Asian American Movement, including his involvement with the Asian American Political Alliance and the Third World Liberation Front student strike at U.C. Berkeley. Wang and Cheng’s intimate portrait reveals a man thoroughly committed to his ideals, full of humor, generosity and life. A critical figure in the history of Bay Area radical politics, Aoki united communities and built a legacy and foundation that will continue to inspire generations to come.

-- Ernest Mark

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