Yuri Kochiyama Solidarity Project

Aisha Fukushima: Inaugural YKSP Artist-in-Residence
May 2025 & June 2026

Aisha Fukushima is an award-winning public speaker, poet, singer-songwriter, and cultural strategist. Shaped by her mixed African American and Japanese heritage and a life lived across cultures, her work brings together poetry, music, storytelling, and facilitation to illuminate the bonds we share and what becomes possible when we come together. She was the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for the Yuri Kochiyama Solidarity Project (YKSP) in May 2025, during the research phase of her book, and returned in June 2026 to celebrate the publication of her debut poetry collection, Mostly Water, which explores memory, mixed heritage, and Black-Japanese histories.

During her first residency, Aisha spent two weeks living and working in Central Harlem, using the time to deepen her understanding of Yuri Kochiyama’s life and the lineages of activism that shaped her and Bill’s work, as well as multiple generations of organizers. She visited the Kochiyama archives in search of inspiration for her writing, explored historical and cultural sites around Harlem, and visited local organizations recommended by Akemi Kochiyama-Ladson. She also timed her stay to coincide with YKSP’s Archives Conference, where she met fellow artists and organizers and performed some of her original music, which was warmly received. Her days were spent writing and reflecting on themes of radical solidarity, mixed heritage, and belonging, with the residency apartment providing a quiet space to rest, write, and think creatively.

Aisha shared that the residency experience was a highlight of her creative journey. She described the time spent with Akemi and her family as especially grounding. Opening their doors to her left a lasting impression and inspired her to think more about radical hospitality as part of her work.

We were thrilled to host Aisha and to support the culmination of her residency and the publication of her poetry collection through multiple live readings and events in New York City. We encourage you to check out her work at aishafukushima.com! 

*Honoring the Kochiyama family's praxis of radical hospitality and legacy of providing people and communities with space and accommodations in their Harlem home, the YKSP Residency Program provides artists, scholars and organizers with short-term living/working space in Central Harlem. We are excited to share applications for the 2027 YKSP Residency programs here.