429 - Looking back, Looking forward
April 29, 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of 429. The civil unrest against police brutality, racial violence, and economic injustice turned into burning, looting, and vandalism of largely, Korean-owned businesses. It was an awakening moment for Korean Americans, when we realized the need for both political and racial empowerment.
429 was also a turning point for The Korean Resource Center. We decided to shift our focus to community empowerment. In the 30 years that have passed, we have worked together to increase political awareness and empowerment, which in turn touched the everyday lives of immigrants. We have advocated for more civic participation and rights to increase immigrants' access to education, health services, and housing services. We have urged community members to send letters to our representatives, marched and rallied in Sacramento and Washington DC, biked across the State of California, and went out to register more community members to vote. The efforts paid off!
We still have a long way to go. We need to keep empowering our community by identifying the community’s needs and raising awareness. Black and Korean American communities must learn more about each other so that we can better understand our histories. We have learned the concerns the Black community has; that the Korean American community is not sufficiently informed about the history of racism in the United States. Our community still needs to put in efforts to educate ourselves. KRC is committed to meeting this moment. We will hold a forum to reflect what it meant to our community by inviting the children of the liquor stores. In June, we join young drummers to practice and jam through Korean and African drumming, where we hope to build a bridge between the two communities. These are a few examples. We will continue to raise awareness within the Korean American community about the legacy of slavery, promote mutual understanding and respect, and empower the Korean American community to be a valuable and respected part of our local community in Southern California.
Please join KRC as it opens its next chapter as a place of cultural education, civic empowerment, and unwavering service to immigrant families and elders of our community. We rise from the ashes.
