Richard Masato Aoki

Richard Masato Aoki 70, passed away on March 15, 2009. He is the beloved son of the late Mrs. Toshiko Kaniye and Mr. Shozo Aoki. Richard was born 1938 in San Leandro, CA and at age 4 was interned at Topaz, UT, during WWII. After the war, he was raised in West Oakland and later with his mother in Berkeley after parental divorce in 1955. Upon graduation from Berkeley H.S. in 1957, he served in the US Army and was honorably discharged from the Army Reserves in 1964. He attended Merritt College with classmates Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale where, together, they formed the Black Panther Party. Upon receiving his AA degree, he attended UC Berkeley where he was instrumental in forming the Asian American Political Alliance and the Third World Liberation Front that led a student strike for Ethnic and Asian American Studies curriculum. Upon obtaining his BA in sociology and masters in social welfare, he moved on to a 25-year career in the Peralta Community College system as an educator, administrator and counselor. Richard is survived by his sister-in-law Deborah Aoki; nephew Michael D. Aoki; and cousins from both the Aoki (father's) and Nakazawa (mother's) sides of the family. Richard is preceded in death by his brother David T. Aoki; mother Toshiko Kaniye and stepfather Albert Kaniye. A program to "Celebrate the Life and Times of Richard Aoki" will be held on Saturday, May 2, 1pm at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Berkeley. An outdoor community remembrance will be held on Sunday, May 3, 11am, at Lil' Bobby Hutton (DeFremery) Park, 18th & Adeline St., Oakland. A Memorial Service for family and friends will be held on Sunday, May 3, 2pm at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Online info: www.RAMemorial.blogspot.com.