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Richard Aoki was called ‘the toughest Oriental of West Oakland’, but his kinder side is featured in a new documentary.
By Nalea J. Ko, Reporter
Published March 19, 2010
An interview about eight years ago with a Black Panther Party member changed the lives of two Chinese American fledgling filmmakers.
Ben Wang, 27, and Mike Cheng, 28, did not know it at the time, but Richard Aoki would eventually allow them to make a documentary about his life as a field marshal for the Black Panther Party in the 1960s.
It is a story about a Japanese American growing up on the tough streets of West Oakland, Calif., which Aoki had not allowed other filmmakers to document before.
Wang and Cheng were college students at the time — writing an article for a student newspaper at the University of California, Davis — when they were given the opportunity to interview Aoki.
“I still remember going home that night in awe of everything that Richard had been through and telling myself that if I was gonna’ be serious about struggling for freedom, justice, and equality, I needed to step up my efforts and dedication,” said Wang in an e-mail to the Pacific Citizen. “I’ve tried to do that ever since, and that first meeting with Richard was the catalyst.”
Aoki was not immediately keen on the idea of making a documentary about his life when asked during his first meeting with the two Chinese American college students.
Months later he agreed to allow Wang and Cheng to create what would become “Aoki,” a 94-minute documentary that will be screened at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival March 20.
“I don't know what specifically changed Richard’s mind, but on the day he called me to say he’d be willing to let Ben and I film a documentary on his life, he said, ‘If any of my life’s experiences can be useful to the next generation I’m willing to share them,’” said Cheng.
But Wang and Cheng needed to learn how to make a film first.
A Civil Rights Activist
Born in San Leandro, Calif. in 1938, Aoki was a Sansei who was incarcerated during World War II with his family at Topaz. In the film “Aoki,” he talked about getting into a fight with another child over a candy bar while at camp.
The Aoki family would later move to West Oakland where he would earn the title as “the toughest Oriental of West Oakland.”
After his military service, Aoki returned to his old neighborhood where he attended Merritt College. There he reunited with his long-time friend Huey Newton, one of the founders of the Black Panther Party. Newton would invite Aoki to join the Panthers. Later Aoki became a gun toting “soldier for the people.”
But filmmakers Wang and Cheng said there was a different side to Aoki. Despite the gritty stories Aoki shared with them about the civil rights movement in a 2002 interview, it was his willingness to always make time for “youngsters” that surprised them.
“When I first met Richard I was surprised with how generous he was with his time to two young students who he had never met,” Cheng explained. “Here was an elder who didn’t have to give us the time of day, but he took us under his wing and always made himself available whenever we wanted to consult him about various issues or ask him for his advice.”
Aoki shared his “old war stories” with them, talking about his involvement with the Third World Liberation Front strike and the Black Panthers. Aoki was a civil rights activist and Panther field marshal, distributing weapons to other Black Panthers.
He taught fellow Panthers how to dismantle a gun, something he learned while in the U.S. Army. Meanwhile Aoki kept a low profile, aware of how the Bay Area police department was targeting Panthers.
“He always said there was a direct correlation between leaders appearing on the front pages of newspapers and ending up being assassinated.” Cheng continued, “It would’ve been nice to have had more pictures of him but at the same time the fact that Richard had the discipline to keep a low profile … is part of what makes him such a remarkable person.”
Behind the historical photographs of Aoki clad in black sunglasses and beret, was a man with a “razor sharp wit,” said Cheng.
“One funny moment that I recall was his argument with a childhood friend of his over who was the better ping-pong player.” Cheng added, “We didn't have the cameras rolling at the time but the entire argument and trash talk was hilarious.”
The conversation ended with Aoki challenging his friend to head over to the recreation center to settle the argument over a game of ping-pong. The off-camera moment occurred two months after Aoki suffered a stroke.
The Final Cut
Filming for “Aoki” began in 2004 with the help of a small grant that funded equipment and production costs. The remaining funds for “Aoki” came out of the filmmakers’ pockets.
Using a Sony HC-1000 camcorder, Wang and Cheng interviewed well-known civil rights activists like Kathleen Cleaver, Yuri Kochiyama, Bobby Seale, Elbert “Big Man” Howard and Douglas Daniels, among others.
The two students learned about filmmaking as they went. Wang would learn editing and filming techniques, which he would later teach to Cheng.
Wang and Cheng initially thought they would tell Aoki’s story like a shorter music video to appeal to a younger audience. But they soon learned that would not work.
“As first-time filmmakers without a lot of knowledge or any experience with the documentary format, we were initially really leaning towards something with faster cuts and non-stop hip-hop music throughout,” Wang said.
“I think we started out wanting to approach the film from that perspective because we wanted to have it in a style that would interest and appeal to younger audiences.” Cheng added. “As time went on in the process we realized the flashy quick-cut approach didn't really allow us to tell Richard’s story in the nuanced and expanded manner that we felt his story deserved."
Aoki died last March, but the filmmakers were able to show him a rough cut of the film in 2008 at the EastSide Cultural Center in Oakland. They said he was pleased with the outcome.
The filmmakers said they hope sharing Aoki’s story with others would ensure that his struggles were not in vain.
“Richard has had a huge influence on my life as a friend and mentor, ultimately that means more to me than the fact that I was able to document his life,” Cheng said.
On the Web:
http://aokifilm.com
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