Activist speaks to honor King

As a Penn student in 1965, Kioyoshi Kuromiya led what he called the largest peace protest in the University's history. And last Thursday, Kuromiya returned to the University to speak about the activist lifestyle he still leads today. In concordance with the University's fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration, Kuromiya's talk focused specifically on how King impacted his life as a gay Japanese American. Addressing a crowd of about 30 students and faculty members in Logan Hall's Class of 1965 Terrace Room, Kuromiya reflected on his years of leading protests throughout the country in the 1960s, as well as the multiple hardships he faced along the way. "There is a continuous threat that links anti-war, human rights and gay issues," Kuromiya said. "Activism gives me the strength to continue." Kuromiya shared with the audience his most painful memory: when a sheriff in Montgomery, Alabama brutally attacked him in 1965. The only way to avoid further attack, he said, was to fake death. "I saw this event in a much larger context," Kuromiya said. "I began to think of the days of the Oriental Exclusion Act, when my grandparents hadn't been able to vote." He also spoke about the progress made in the area of equality over the past 50 years and the strides which still need to be taken. As a young boy, being gay was a challenge for Kuromiya because he did not have the chance to express himself freely. He explained that this repression inspired him to assume an activist lifestyle. However, Kuromiya's activism was fueled not only by the issue of gay rights but also by the need for equality among minority groups, he said. Being a known AIDS actrivist got Kuromiya the chance to meet King after his "I Have a Dream" address. He said it was this experience that changed his life and made him fight even harder for equality. Despite numerous arrests, encounters with police brutality, beatings and periods of starvation, Kuromiya pressed on, leading numerous protests. Several student activists spoke about their own efforts to enhance toleration on campus, including College freshman Heather Lochridge, founder of a new group called Allies, which promotes education on homosexual issues; College junior Hema Sarangapani, chairperson of the Women's Alliance; and College junior Chaz Howard, president of the United Minorities Council. Sarangapani praised Kuromiya for the impact he has had on her life as a feminist. "It is this idea of radical, constant, non-violent resistance that we must follow with persistence," Sarangapani said. "Any attempt to silence our voices is awful." At Penn, Kuromiya worked to create an outlet for gay students. He started the first gay coffee hour in 1971, on the second floor of Houston Hall. Today Kuromiya oversees hundreds of World Wide Web sites devoted to various causes. As an AIDS patient, Kuromiya distributes a seasonal pamphlet educating other patients about new and upcoming research.