NY Story to LA Arirang

Last Post Tonight, I Promise

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 06:19:43 -0400

It feels as if I’m trying to make up for the lack of postings last week, but I feel that this is an important enough issue fresh in my mind to write about it.

I sent an e-mail today to a Korean reporter who wrote about Ju Hong.

안녕하세요, 8월 4일 에 올라온 기사에 대해서 이렇게 메일을 보냅니다. 제 이름은 최명근이라고 합니다. 저는 기자님이 쓰신 기사의 주인공 홍주영씨의 친구이자 비슷한 처지에 있는 서류미비자 학생입니다. 일단 주영씨 이야기를 미주 한인사회에 알려주셔서 너무 감사합니다. 하지만 아직도 한인사회에서 저희같은 서류미비자 이민자들을 불체자라고 있는 경향이 있어서 이렇게 메일을 드립니다. 한번 미주 한인들 7명중 한명은 서류미비자라는 말을 들은적이 있습니다. 『불체자』라고 하면 『범죄자』라는 비인간적인 의미가 함축되어 있지만 기자님도 아시다시피 한인사회의 7명중 한명은 범죄자가 아닙니다. 마찬가지로 저, 제 친구 데이빗조, 주영씨 역시 범죄자가 아닙니다. 많은 한인들이『불체자』라는 부끄러운 탈을 쓰고 있습니다, 하지만『서류미비자』라는 단어는 중립적이자 올바른 단어입니다. 단어 하나이지만 저희에게는 정체성을 주는 단어입니다. 스페인어 언론도 inmigrantes ilegales (불체자)라는 단어보다는 inmigrantes indocumentados (서류미비자)라는 단어를 사용합니다. 제가 생각하는 바에는 우리 이민자 사회의 발전을 위해서는 저희가 하는 말과 행동이 따라야 합니다.

저희 이민자 학생들에게 따스한 시선을 주셔서 항상 감사합니다.

The e-mail makes the distinction between two Korean words: 불체자 and 서류미비자. I’ll sum it up: I express my gratitude on the reporter covering the plight of the undocumented students such as Ju Hong. Then, I cite that one out of seven Korean Americans are undocumented and highlight the dehumanizing criminal connotation behind the term “불체자” which means illegal immigrant. I also highlight how it gives a group of people their identity. I wrap it up with how the Spanish language media transitioned from the Spanish language equivalent of “illegal” and “undocumented.”

As obvious as it sounds, words have meanings. As a Spanish major under the tutelage of Dr. Fred de Rosset, I know that there are no two words that mean the exact same thing. Words are incredibly powerful, and I recognize the importance of pursuing justice with them.

Right now, I am in conversation with NAKASEC about engaging the population and the media to bring a human face to the issue of immigration. Stay tuned for social change.

I forgot to post about this, but this was an interview that I...

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 06:00:24 -0400

I forgot to post about this, but this was an interview that I did with NAKASEC, the national affiliate of the KRC. Working at KRC, I got to network well with KRC’s two other affiliates, NAKASEC (National Korean American Service and Education Consortium) and KRCC (Korean American Resource and Cultural Center). Especially on the Choi family deportation case, the three affiliates collaborated and bounced around ideas. It’s interesting to see three independent organizations working together with a firm united voice; it shows the power of Korean Americans. It also makes me more interested in the work that these two other affiliates do. It’s motivated me to take a road trip this September for the KRCC + NAKASEC fundraiser to see the people who I have been on these endless conference calls with (and of course, see some of the staff from KRC as well).

I spoke yesterday in front of 200 individuals at a Korean...

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:33:18 -0400

I spoke yesterday in front of 200 individuals at a Korean Catholic mass at St. Agnes Church. I spoke to the Spanish-speaking congregation as well, but I spoke to most of them on an individual level. Between the four volunteers, we managed to get about 200 signatures for a petition to Governor Brown to support AB131. Compared to the work I did in New York City for AALDEF (asking incredibly sensitive survey questions such as “What is your immigration status?” “How many people live in your house?”)

With the Korean congregation, I shared my story and called on them to alleviate the burden that the undocumented students have in California. Framing this as an education issue rather than an immigration or a political issue has been more effective at reaching out to the Korean congregation while showing that this is an immigration issue has been more effective at reaching out to the Latino congregation. Korean Catholics tend to be moderate as opposed to the liberal Buddhists and conservative Christians, and it is a challenge trying to engage them politically. Combining that with the Korean value on emphasis on education, I believe, has helped tremendously.

Working with the Korean American community, religion has come into spotlight often. On the issue of Proposition 8, the Korean Resource Center has had a split with the massive Korean American Protestant community because of its decision to publicly oppose Proposition 8, which halted same sex marriage in California. To this day, it is challenging to work with the Korean American Protestant community.

As KRC sets its eyes on Orange County, we are seeing that the churches are even more conservative. For example, Sa-rang Community Church, one of the largest Korean churches in Orange County, is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America denomination. Through my observation, most Korean American churches are affiliated with a denomination based in Korea, but in areas without much Korean presence, they tend to be affiliated with an American denomination. In this case, Sa-rang Community Church is affiliated with the Evangelical (as opposed to Mainline) Presbyterian denomination.

I firmly believe that this reflects back to the political attitude in Korea. About 20% of the Korean population adhere to some kind of Protestant faith (mostly Presbyterian and Methodist), and Protestants have been championing the conservative causes such as closer ties to the United States through a Free Trade Agreement and a hardline stance against North Korea. Since the transition into a civilian government in the late 80s, the two conservative presidents, Kim Young-Sam and the current president Lee Myung-Bak, both served as elders for their churches. This attitude has migrated over to the United States, and provides somewhat of a conservative bent for Korean Americans.

(Photo courtesy of Kevin Solis)

The internship is winding down in less than two weeks, and I...

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:09:49 -0400

The internship is winding down in less than two weeks, and I don’t know what kind of footprints I’ll leave here in Los Angeles. As cool as it looks, I hope it’s not footprints on beach sand, because it’ll get wiped over soon. I hope and I pray that I made some real tangible changes here. Whether it is the youth that I’ve worked with, some person who benefits from foreclosure materials that I’m working on, students that I’m attempting to help with the passage of the Real California DREAM Act, or seniors that I help out fill out applications, I hope I impacted at least one person to engage themselves socially.

My second wish is that my growth here isn’t just an ephemeral one. What I mean by this is that whatever I started here will continue. I want Korean American students to take after my example and be inspired to advocate for the California DREAM Act. I want to continue being in conversation with the Korean American media advocating for change in the perspective of the coverage of immigrant stories.

Because I know my time here’s coming to a close for now, I’ve been stepping down in organizing some parts, but I am working incredibly hard to wrap up loose ends. I’m also in conversations to try to continue some of what’s been going on. Time’s a tickin’. Back to Kentucky soon.

I took that photo at Long Beach. I’ve been trying to soak up as much of California before I get back. It makes for restless weekends, but really, I need as much sun in me to face the Kentucky weather.

Sometimes, I rock on racial justice after hours (for the SYEP...

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:48:34 -0400

Sometimes, I rock on racial justice after hours (for the SYEP youth).

Internship 2.0

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 03:14:52 -0400

So I have about 25 more days here in the sunny Los Angeles. The internship has turned out to be incredibly different than I’ve expected it to be. I’ve put my heart and soul into an END campaign. With two fundraisers, I was part of a group that raised $10,000. I’ve gotten to work with 14-15 amazing youth leaders* from Los Angeles. Because I’m leaving them at this halfway point, I think I got to learn more from them than I could give them. I’ve been reassigned to place more focus on civic participation into Orange County and help with housing issues (foreclosure). With my background and skills, the staff thought it would be more fitting for me to refocus on those two projects.

The Orange County material feels right at home for this Bergen County boy. But I’ll be honest here with foreclosure. Even though I’ve done housing justice work with Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), it was mostly with renters who were being abused by homeowners. Ever since my family has been in America, my family had always rented the places we live in. For me, it’s a challenge garnering sympathy and effort for those folks. In my limited scope of things, I still would like to work with developing the youth, but I’m sure Jani and rest of the interns are more than capable of taking on that task even without me.

Always a challenge. New frontiers out here in the West.

*I’m going to refrain from using the word ‘future’ to describe the youth today because the youth are our present. They are already leaders-in-training just as most of us are. So we need to give them the attention and the responsibility that our leaders get.

What inspires me to talk about youth this way is from a book called Do Hard Things. I’m not usually a fan of the evangelical press, but it challenges the youth to take more on in their lives. Generally a good read.

univisionnews: Protesters demonstrate at President Obama’s NCLR...

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:38:26 -0400

univisionnews:

Protesters demonstrate at President Obama’s NCLR speech

At least nine Dream Act students hold a silent demonstration as President Obama speaks about immigration policy to the National Council of La Raza in Washington on Monday. (Jordan Fabian, 7/25/2011)

This is a national phenomenon. We need to get the DREAM Act passed now!

Guess who did the Korean translation

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 01:06:01 -0400

Guess who did the Korean translation

Making the California Dream!

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:38:07 -0400

For the past few days in Vegas, we’ve been concentrating on legislation in California. It’s been leaked that the governor will sign part one, AB130, into law. The current concerns are the dynamics of working together between many different groups and the passage of AB131. I don’t say this lightly, but this is the crucial time in California immigration history. If California passes this, most likely other states like Massachusetts, New York, and Illinois will start considering these laws as California’s policies lead the nation. AB131 is currently “In Suspense,” which seems to be appropriate for the situation.

21 Good Reasons to Risk Deportation for the DREAM Act

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 05:12:50 -0400

21 Good Reasons to Risk Deportation for the DREAM Act:

I think our legislators need to realize that the undocumented are human beings that we’re discussing here. The undocumented are human beings too — with dreams, hopes, and fears.

Teaser post: From the Angels to the Plains

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 05:07:03 -0400

Oh, I’m going to Las Vegas in about 10 hours.

I got a shoutout from the fantastic Ms. Jane Yoo at NAKASEC!...

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 05:05:00 -0400

I got a shoutout from the fantastic Ms. Jane Yoo at NAKASEC! Now I know that I have readers from Kentucky (shoutout to Drs. Heyrman and de Rosset!), DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and more!

I’ll use this opportunity to plug for NAKASEC and KRCC’s upcoming fundraiser that I hope to be attending this September. NAKASEC (National Korean American Service and Education Consortium) and KRCC (Korean American Resource and Cultural Center) are holding a joint fundraiser this September 17th. I’ll be in Kentucky then, but I’m going to do my best to break out of B-town to get there.

KRCC is the Chicago affiliate of KRC, and from their Facebook page, it seems that they are an incredibly vibrant and an essential part of the Chicago community. If for whatever reason you happen to be in Chicagoland area, please go and support!

(P.S.: On one of the slower days, I might explain the structure of KRC and its affiliates. Look forward to that post!)

I feel that I don’t write about the other half of my work...

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 04:55:00 -0400

I feel that I don’t write about the other half of my work enough. I also work with youth during the day. AB 131 is not the only thing that is affected by the budget shortfalls in California. Nicole Montojo, our director of Civic Participation, did a presentation/workshop with them. To demonstrate the effect of state budget, she asked the youth to throw in a marble if they answered yes for each question. Were teachers given pink slips? Did they cut the arts and music programming? Do they use outdated books?

Growing up in Bergen County (New Jersey’s equivalent of Orange County), I did answer yes to few questions, but I was absolutely stunned when almost all of the students threw in a marble for furlough days. Furlough days were days when the schools were closed because there was simply not enough money for the school to keep open.

With this visual experience, I saw that the budget in California affected more than just the undocumented students. It hurt the documented, citizen children of color. Many of these youth attend magnet schools, where facilities are supposed to be better. What would it be like for students who attended regular public schools? It saddens me to see that mismanagement of budget by California voters and the flawed system hurt the future of California.

Why We Fight

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 02:52:11 -0400

After all, it’s not my state. It won’t affect my friends in Kentucky or the tri-state area, right? I had to struggle with those questions as well. I’ve made calls for passing the Maryland, Illinois, and Connecticut instate tuition bills, but the titular question flashed in my head today as I debated about attending another meeting. I ultimately decided not to, for three different reasons.

Tony Choi, post-teenage burnout.: I’m sure people don’t want to know, but with a killer migraine after dealing with the Spanish-language press and fifteen youth for four hours and a canker sore in my mouth that reminds myself that I’m working too hard, I decided a nap was more important at the time. I also would have had to spend twelve dollars I lacked to get there and would have had to find a way to feed myself.
Empower yourself!!!!!!: I struggled with the question that most allies struggle with in this campaign. I’m not Californian. Though I own several Hollister shirts that say SO CAL and Huntington Beach, I don’t think hella is a natural word and Orange County, Inland Empire, and Los Angeles are all one and the same to me. I still gawk at Jack-in-the-Box and In-n-Out Burgers because we don’t have them east of the Mississippi.

I felt like I was taking too much leadership for something that I wasn’t part of. I am not the only API representative in the movement, and none of my more visible Californian friends like David Cho and Ju Hong should be pressured to do more than what they already do. Though I am a dreamer myself, I am an ally to the California dreamers. It’s their movement - they’ve got to own it. I will no longer be anyone’s excuse not to fight their own fights.
The vacuum of API communities: This thought occurred to me later. After seeing me for the past few days being incredibly active in the movement down here in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, will somebody notice there is a vacuum of API communities? I guess this could serve as my test for the API thorn-on-the-side.

Regardless though, if it weren’t for number one issue of lack of energy and money, I would have gone. I will continue to seek out an Asian American voice for this because I know it affects all of us.

“DREAM Act nowlegalization for all my dreamers!<3...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:59:04 -0400

“DREAM Act now
legalization for all my dreamers!
<3 Please?”

I tied this wish to a Wishing Tree in Little Tokyo today. Even when I’m with my 14 students, this is always on my mind. Maybe one or two of them are undocumented and are finding support through what I do. Maybe some of them will understand the struggle that the undocumented face everyday. Maybe some of them will understand their own privileges of being documented. Maybe that’s my real wish.

What is this “California DREAM Act” that I have been...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:46:00 -0400

What is this “California DREAM Act” that I have been mentioning constantly? With the failure of the federal DREAM Act last year (I’m looking at you, backstabbing senators. But please be nice when it comes up for vote again.) and the Republican takeover of the House, the focus has shifted to individual states. First being combating anti-immigration laws, and the second being relief on state level.

The anti-anti-immigration bill part has mostly gone well. Parts of the Arizona law that initiated all the anti-immigrant bills were struck down. In Florida and Kentucky, the laws were successfully combated. However, in places like Georgia, Alabama, and Indiana, the battles were not so successful.

The second part is to grant reprieve for the undocumented students. Shifting resources to the state legislature, the students have been able to gain in-state tuition in several states such as California, Maryland, and Illinois. The California DREAM Act is one of the most daring pieces of legislation at the moment.

California DREAM Act, while branded as two bills, is actually a set of three bills. The first part, AB 540, passed in 2001 and allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. A decade later, AB 130 and 131 would complete it.

AB 540, passed in 2001, allows California students to pay tuition at an in-state level as long as they have resided in California and attended California schools. This was gained after a hard fought battle by the immigrants’ rights groups. Though it has been around for ten years, the Korean Resource Center still deals with institutions that pretend to be unaware of the legislation.

AB130, passed this month, requires that the universities and colleges direct private funds meant for students to be awarded to students. In the past, there have been instances where an undocumented student would apply for and be awarded scholarships, but because the checks were made out to schools, the schools kept the scholarship money for themselves. Though somewhat controversial because it deals with undocumented students, passed fairly easily because it does not involve the state budget.

Its companion bill, AB131, which will be debated over the next few days, stands at a more contentious point because it does involve the state budget. AB131 would potentially allow undocumented students to access some form of financial aid in the massive University of California, California State University, and California community colleges system.

Because California is so strapped for cash at the moment, bills like AB131 are even more controversial and cumbersome for legislators to debate. The Democrat-controlled assembly wants to pass the law, but the budget places a great brake over it. Because the power for budget has also been devolved so that voters can disregard the budget situation and have costly ballot initiatives. For California to function more effectively as a state, the devolved power needs to be given back to the legislators, whose jobs are to keep a tight watch over the budget. This way, California legislators can truly act as fiscally responsible guardians of the budget and serve the electorate.

Being Your API Voice of Conscience

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:42:09 -0400

I have been involved in the immigrant youth movement since I was a sophomore in Kentucky. Though the movement is overwhelmingly Latino, because of my linguistic abilities, I have been able to adjust myself to that. But somewhere in the last year, I had an awakening and I asked myself: Why do I have to adjust myself? It’s my movement too.

So in every meeting, every conference call, and every organizing, I feel pressured to serve as the API voice of conscience to the movement. When people start talking Univision and Telemundo, they forget that they have the potential to reach ABS-CBN, KBS International, and so forth. After all, about 30% of the undocumented population are API.

Right now, it seems, as a movement, that API communities are being excluded. Not purposefully, obviously, but it seems that the voices are not being heard from our communities. My personal gut feeling says that the movement has not been intentional enough, and that API community has not stepped up enough.

What does that mean for KRC? Can we change the culture overnight? I don’t think so. However, through our support of my friends like David Cho and Ju Hong, I think we are changing the face of the campaign bit by bit to make immigration an American issue, not just a Latino or Asian issue.

As for me? I’ll constantly be the one asking about whether to include API groups in your meetings. Even if I’m not there, please keep me as your thorn of conscience on the side.

This is about the most Salvadorean experience I have ever had....

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:15:52 -0400

This is about the most Salvadorean experience I have ever had. (My dinner at Pico Union outside UCLA Labor Center)

In the past two days, I went to two DREAM fundraiser events....

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 06:25:14 -0400

In the past two days, I went to two DREAM fundraiser events. The first was the Orange County DREAM Team’s Dreaming in Drag fundraiser in Garden Grove, and the second was Los Angeles DREAM Team’s Open Mic fundraiser in East L.A. The first was a drag show while the second was an open mic/talent show. Performing in the picture is a friend, David Cho, perhaps the most visible figure in the Korean American segment of the DREAM Act movement next to Ju Hong. The third picture comes from an AKASIA fundraiser, a group of Korean American immigrant college students based at the KRC. I learned a few things from the fundraiser, and one of those things was the need for financial assistance for undocumented students.

The next big issue that the immigrants right project will be dealing with will probably be the California DREAM Act, a law comprised of two bills. Because of the continuous disappointment with the failure of the federal DREAM Act, organizers are trying to achieve some parts of the proposal at the state-level in immigrant-heavy states such as California. Already, California undocumented students are beneficiaries of AB 540, which allows them to pay in-state tuition in the University of California, California State University, and the California community colleges. With the bill that just recently passed the assembly, AB 130, undocumented students will be eligible to receive private scholarship funds. Prior to this, if a private scholarship awarded the scholarship for an undocumented youth to the university directly, the student would not be guaranteed a scholarship that they were awarded. This is now on the governor’s desk, waiting for a signature.

The more contentious part is AB 131. Because California’s budget is shot (due to costly ballot initiatives), California faces a challenging time in passing AB 131. AB 131 would allow undocumented students to access state funding such as Cal Grants. While prospects look great for 130, 131 faces a rough road ahead even with the Democrat-controlled state assembly. Some of the Democrats represent areas like the Ventura County, somewhat of a northern counterpart to heavily conservative Orange County. The struggle balances three things, and it will be interesting which side the legislature will take: the immigrant voting community, party loyalty, and fiscal handing.

Teaser post: Robin Hood of Orange County (Details to come soon)

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 05:24:18 -0400

Me: they’re just rich (referring to people from Orange County)
V.K.: Oh… So did you rob ‘em?
Me: I wish. I wish that I could put all that money into scholarships for needy students.