Posted on display wall at Oakland Museum 2016

March 15, 2010

During the immediate aftermath of Richard's passing, Richard's friends and comrades focused on a public honoring of Richard's legacy while respecting his personal privacy which he was known to value. At this one year anniversary of Richard's passing, the sufficient grieving time has enabled his friends to share more details about the medical conditions that led to Richard’s death.

To the very end, Richard, like many of us, was far more willing to trade stories with his friends about the country’s latest economic disasters, revolutionary politics, and, of course, the odds on weekly football games than to talk about his poor health. He couldn’t avoid the topic when he was literally stopped in his tracks a few years ago by a major stroke. When he collapsed in his bathroom his recovery was further complicated by a heart attack, kidney failure and multiple painful leg fractures. In the years following his stroke Richard credits his recovery to the steady stream of support from his friends who called him daily, gave him rides to his appointments and filled his refrigerator with home-cooked meals.

Despite his close network of support and his best efforts to stop smoking, Richard’s health continued to deteriorate. The very same disease process that led to his stroke made it painful for him to walk and was slowly shutting down his kidneys. He was embarrassed to admit that for more than a year, he had trouble eating. Hospitalized in January, Richard checked himself out of the hospital to be at his mother’s bedside when she suffered a fatal heart attack. Still unable to eat, exhausted, and feeling ill, Richard managed to arrange a quiet loving funeral service for his mother. A few weeks after her funeral, on March 5, 2009 while with friends, he collapsed at the local drug store and was taken by ambulance to Alta Bates hospital.

It was a rocky hospitalization. Dialysis was proposed to treat his failing kidneys, but in his debilitated condition his body couldn’t tolerate even his first run of dialysis. When they tried again, on his second run, his heart stopped momentarily, and still he continued to lose fluids. Saturday afternoon on March 14, 2009 Richard asked to be discharged and returned home. He knew his next dialysis treatment was scheduled for Monday. He awoke early Sunday morning, got up and collapsed. Assisted to the couch he was asked if he wanted to return to the hospital. Instead, less than five minutes later, when he was alone, Richard shot himself and passed away in the emergency surgical unit.

Throughout his life, Richard carefully made decisions on what paths he decided to take, whether it was joining the army, participating in the formation of the Black Panther Party, enrolling at UC Berkeley, joining the Asian American Political Alliance, or becoming a leader in the UC Berkeley Third World Liberation Front Strike. He weighed his options and carefully deliberated all his decisions. His final decision to end his worsening medical condition was consistent with his wish not to return to the hospital.

Although Richard did not have an immediate family after the death of his mother, he had a large extended family of loving friends and comrades whom were very close to him. He lived a full and accomplished political and social life. His caring thoughtfulness and ever present sense of humor gave him an ever widening circle of close friends wherever he went, even at his physical therapy class. He will be remembered not only for his revolutionary leadership, but also as a tender friend, for his willingness to listen and share his knowledge with all he met, and his wonderful wit and hilarious stories that kept us rolling off our chairs.

On May 3, 2009 over 500 of his friends, family, and community celebrated his life and contributions in a memorial on UCB campus. Honor guards from the Black Panther Party Alumni and Black August Organizing Committee lined the memorial stage. Heartfelt tributes filled the program from old and new comrades with music and performance. A community of artists constructed a people’s altar adorned with over 1000 paper cranes made by bay area community members, while drummers performed a Korean ritual ceremony.

On May 4th at the Chapel of the Chimes a memorial service of 200 crowded into the chapel to bid Richard a final personal farewell. A large portrait of Richard from a photo taken of him at a Bobby Hutton BBP Alumni commemoration was placed in the front of the assembly. The two hour program included added farewells from his friends and family. A third honor guard, the United States military corps, presented a formal veteran’s honor taps and salute with a flag to his family. While some attendees were critical of this show of respect, the majority in attendance were not lost to the irony of this military veteran’s recognition from a government he fought against for civil and human rights. The memorial concluded with a Panther alumni leading all in singing Power to the People.

Other formal tributes given to Richard were recognition from the Oakland City Council, SF Board of Supervisors, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Additionally the Asian American Pacific Islander UCB Alumni Chapter awarded Richard Aoki Scholarships to two Eastbay youth for community service in the organizations Youth Together and Serve the People.

Richard will always be remembered for his legacy as a revolutionary, a fighter for all people, an educator and mentor for youth, as one of the Black Panther Party founding members, a leader of the TWLF which helped give birth to Ethnic Studies around the country, and as a leader in uniting Third World struggles in America.

We miss you Richard,

Richard Aoki Memorial Committee

Community Altar Built

Rest In Power

Richard Masato Aoki

Community Altar

We invite you to remember and celebrate our friend, comrade, and hero Richard Masato Aoki by giving an offering to a community altar at EastSide Arts Alliance (2277 International Blvd, Oakland CA, 94606).

There are a couple ways you can contribute:

• Introduce and educate people in your circles and organizations on who Richard is and was (See attached writings on Richard for background information.).

• The altar will be up from April 7th through April 27th outside of EastSide and will be accessible to anyone who wants to leave writing, prayers, flowers, or other items.

• On April 13, 15, 20, and 22, from 4 – 6 p.m., Peps (an EastSide staff) and volunteers will be available to assist youth and community members in adding to the altar through collages or origami.

• We hope to collectively make 1000 cranes as a prayer for justice and self determination as well as a wish for his legacy to be carried on for many generations to come. You can make a number of cranes and deliver them to EastSide. Volunteers will string them up for the commemoration on May 2nd and 3rd.

Brought to you by EastSide Arts Alliance, Serve the People, and Black August Organizing Committee.

Documentary Trailer for "Richard Aoki"

Posted by TWF.

Special Screening of documentary "Richard Aoki" on May 30, 2008 at Eastside Arts Alliance, Oakland

Courtesy of Carole Hyams

Memorial Button Design with Richard wearing black beret and AAPA button with the character "East"