Tour our ongoing exhibition Common Ground: The Heart of Community with experienced docents.

The first biography of Asian American activist and Black Panther Party member Richard Aoki

An iconic figure of the Asian American Movement, Richard Aoki (1938-2009) was also, as the most prominent non-black member of the Black Panther Party, a key architect of Afro-Asian solidarity in the 1960s and 70s. His life story exposes the personal side of political activism as it illuminates the history of ethnic nationalism and radical internationalism in America.

A reflection of this interconnection, Samurai among Panthers weaves together two narratives: Aoki’s dramatic first-person story and an interpretive history by a leading scholar of the Asian American Movement, Diane C. Fujino. Aoki’s candid account of himself takes us from his early years in Japanese American internment camps to his political education on the streets of Oakland to his emergence in the Black Panther Party. As his story unfolds, we see how his parents’ separation inside the camps and his father’s illegal activities shaped the development of Aoki’s politics. Fujino situates his life within the context of twentieth-century history—World War II, the Cold War, and the protests of the 1960s. She demonstrates how activism is both an accidental and an intentional endeavor, as well as how a militant activist practice can also promote participatory democracy and social service.

The result of these parallel voices and analysis in Samurai among Panthers is a complex—and sometimes contradictory—portrait of a singular extraordinary activist and an expansion and deepening of our understanding of the history he lived.

Diane C. Fujino is associate professor and chair of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her books about leading Asian American activists Yuri Kochiyama (Heartbeat of Struggle) and Fred Ho (Wicked Theory, Naked Practice) are published by the University of Minnesota Press.

London will host the Summer Olympics but JANM will host the JA Olympics. Join us for fun Japanese American games – like a jan ken po tournament and origami design contest – for the whole family.

Walkthrough of Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami with curator Meher McArthur.

Relive history and learn about present-day Little Tokyo with National Museum docents.

$9 Members; $14 non-members, includes Museum admission. Comfortable walking shoes and clothes recommended. Weather permitting.

JANM and NCPD hosts the Asian American Journalists Association, Los Angeles Chapter (AAJA-LA) V3 "Vision. Visibility. Voice." Digital Media Conference. AAJA-LA V3 is the only digital medial conference for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) mainstream journalists, digital media journalists, bloggers and those interested in social media. It is an opportunity for those communicating on numerous digital platforms including social media and blogs and their readers, to interact, engage in person and to encourage and inspire those who are interested in communicating online. Participants can initiate connections and create lasting global dialogues, which extend beyond the conference— both online and offline. JANM Members are invited to be a part of the stimulating discussions around the “who, what, where, when why, and how” for AAPI-centered blogging and digital media. Current JANM Members receive discounted registration.

More information at twww.V3con.com

Xploration Lab 2012 closes.

Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami closes.