Richard Aoki (20 November 1938 – 15 March 2009) was an Asian-American educator and college counselor, best known as a civil rights activist and early member of the Black Panther Party. He was one of the earliest members of the Black Panther Party and the only Asian-American to hold a formal leadership position. Aoki also played a formative role in the Third World Strike establishing Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley.