Pride and Advocacy: Raven Yamamoto’s Passion for Social Justice
Sitting across from each other in a dimly lit University Hall, Raven Yamamoto and I studied each other closely. I started with their Instagram. Colorful photos jumped out at me: nature scenes, group photos, and the occasional selfie to name a few. Little did I know that my peer was a passionate activist, artist, and volunteer.
Yamamoto, a journalism and political science major at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), was born and raised on Maui, Hawaii in a town called Kahului. “Hawaii is such a nurturing place. You find a friend in everyone you talk to,” they explained proudly. “It is an ethereal sort of kindness [in Hawaii]. Perpetuating the value of ‘aloha’ is like treating everyone like they are your family members, treating them as you would a distant relative. Kindness is the of utmost value.”
Yamamoto revealed to me that life in Los Angeles is incredibly different from life in their hometown. “It’s not even really like New York or LA where everyone is thinking about themselves. To come from a place that always cultivated family values to a place where they are kind of put on the back burner… It’s really different to me,” Yamamoto explained. “I struggle going back and forth a little bit because I have two versions of myself: the one that (in Hawaii) and the one that I have to be to survive out here.”
I soon learned of Yamamoto’s greatest passion: social justice, especially advocacy for the rights of indigenous people. “Nobody is illegal on stolen land,” they said to me, confidence unwavering. Specifically, Yamamoto has been advocating for a cause that hits very close to home: Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea, a sacred ground that holds much “mana” (spiritual energy), will soon be home to a 30 meter telescope, a movement that has been approved by the U.S government. “It is destructive and disrespectful to such history and cultural importance. It is extremely disrespectful and hurtful. It is traumatic, even, to current native hawaiian people. Not only our ancestors,” Yamamoto explained. This social justice issue is of such importance to Hawaii that Yamamoto spent several weeks over at Mauna Kea themselves in peaceful protest (as seen in the photo above). When asked how they felt about the situation facing Mauna Kea, Yamamoto assured that “there really is only one way to feel about it. I believe that Mauna Kea is indeed a sacred place.” But Yamamoto’s advocacy doesn’t end there. Yamamoto is a lover of anything that is art involved. In the past and present, their advocacy has taken forms of photography, film, dance, song, and much more (as seen in the photo below). “I love how photos transcend time and eras, and they suspend themselves in the environment they are shown in,” they stated.
Not only does Yamamoto advocate for the idigenous rights, but they are also the president of AGAPE, the new service organization on LMU’s campus. The organization, who focuses primarily on mental health, works closely with students at Our Lady of Victory Catholic School in Compton. “I’ve been going there for two years now and the kids know my name and my face, and there’s nothing that makes me feel better than seeing them every week.”
