Akiyu Hatano August 18, 1967-June 30, 2006 Akiyu Hatano’s brief and beautiful life was guided by a love for justice and a commitment to compassion. Blessed with amazing wisdom and insight, Akiyu was able to see the best in every person that she met, to see their true gifts and graces and unrealized potential – not just who they were, but who they could become. Akiyu believed in every person’s inherent worth and dignity, regardless of their race, age, sexual orientation or socioeconomic circumstances. Her faith in all of us, her students, her friends, and her family, helped to transform many, many lives. Akiyu was born in 1967 in Tokyo, Japan. She was a dedicated and much adored big sister to her one sibling, Hiroyu, with whom she shared a love for beautiful things – flowers, pearls, fine paper and stationery. Akiyu earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Harvard University and her teaching credential from San Francisco State University. She was a founding faculty member at Gloria R. Davis Academic Middle School in Bayview - Hunters Point, where she met her beloved husband Japheth in 1995. After years of planning, Akiyu and her long-time friend Marjorie opened the West Oakland Community School (WOCS), a charter school whose mission was to nurture a new generation of servant leaders committed to racial and economic justice for all people. With a staff of dedicated teachers and volunteers, “Mama Akiyu” and “Mama Marjorie,” created a learning community that felt as much like an extended family as it did a public school. WOCS instilled in its children the goals of attending college, becoming servant leaders, and learning the history and culture of African American people. Akiyu departed this life on June 30, 2006, just weeks shy of her 39th birthday. She is remembered with love by her husband Japheth, her sister Hiroyu, and all her family and friends. She leaves a legacy of inspiration for her nephews Leif, Asher and Jordan; her nieces Lauren and Kaelyn; and all the young people that she taught and mentored over the course of her career as an educator and advocate. Her beautiful and loving spirit is ever-present with us, and we remember always her words of wisdom to the first WOCS graduating class: “Whether you may know it or not, each of you is now a blossoming leaf who understands empathy, carries hope and compassion, and has a vision for a peaceful life.” Honored by Jean Wong |
