Yuri Kochiyama Google Doodle celebrates human rights activist on her 95th birthday

Today’s Google doodle pays homage to human rights activist Yuri Kochiyama on what would have been her 95th birthday.

Raised in San Pedro, California, Kochiyama was imprisoned in a Japanese-American internment camp in Arkansas for two years during World War II when she was in her twenties. She would later move to Harlem and dedicate her life to fighting for the rights of African-Americans, Latinos and Asian-Americans.

Kochiyama left a legacy of advocacy: for peace, US political prisoners, nuclear disarmament, and reparations for Japanese Americans interned during the war. She was known for her tireless intensity and compassion, and remained committed to speaking out, consciousness-raising, and taking action until her death in 2014.

She protested alongside Malcolm X and played a critical role in getting the Civil Liberties Act signed into law in 1988, winning reparations and a formal government apology for the Japanese-Americans put in internment camps during WWII.

Designed by doodler Alyssa Winans, Kochiyama’s logo leads to a search for “Yuri Kochiyama” and includes Google’s usual sharing icon to post the doodle on social pages or send via email.

About The Author

Amy Gesenhues

Amy Gesenhues is Third Door Media's General Assignment Reporter, covering the latest news and updates for Search Engine Land and Marketing Land. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs.com, SoftwareCEO.com, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.