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A Call for the Formation of a Historical Society of Koreans in Washington State |
The Founding of Korean American Historical SocietyIn the Alaskan fish canneries of old times, the faded and dilapidated walls of workers' dormitories had a variety of graffiti among whose squiggles and sprawling were quite a few names of people. Some were undoubtedly Korean names, which revealed to many an eyewitness of the late 1960s the vicissitudes of immigrants' lives in the United States. Until about 1910 or thereabouts, according to one story, there were ten to twenty Korean men, all bachelors of advanced age, who had lived in Seattle's Chinatown since the turn of the century, immediately following the first Korean emigration to Hawai'i between 1903 and 1905. These men went to work in the Alaskan canneries during the fishing seasons and returned to Chinatown in Seattle to while away winter months, gambling and drinking, until the next season. Could those Korean names found among the graffiti in the Alaskan cannery possibly belong to some of the Koreans who passed away after living part of their lives in Seattle's Chinatown? Who were they? How did they get there? What went through their minds and hearts? While these questions challenge our sense of history to uncover the secret hidden in the labyrinth of time, other questions cloud our minds about our own destiny. When the Korean American husbands and wives, after consuming themselves to eke out a living, are finally gone, where would their records be kept? After we are buried in this land, how can our children and grandchildren know about us? This is a problem that concerns every one of us, no matter what motivated each of us to come to the United States, and for whatever reasons we chose the state of Washington to be our second home. In the past, Korean American history received much attention for its involvement with Korea's independence movement against Japan. Several books were published on the history of Korean Americans in such areas as Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. More recently there has been a promising development in the study of the Korean American community, especially as part of Asian American studies in several American colleges and universities. Unfortunately, however, very little has been written on the history of Korean Americans in the state of Washington. The only existing study on the subject is a 1973 report by Mr. Jae Kun Yoo. In the decade since that report, the Korean American population in Washington showed a phenomenal growth. The 1980 Census data showed that Korean Americans are actively engaged in the socioeconomic and cultural enrichment of Washington State in 37 of its 39 counties. The Korean American Historical Society is formed in order to record the current activities of Korean Americans in every corner of Washington State and, at the same time, trace the footsteps of those Koreans who came before us back to the beginning. We, the founding members of the Korean Historical Society, will try to achieve these goals by means of the following short and long range programs. 1. Korean Americans in Washington State: Their Past and Present This project will conduct a one-year search for materials and information necessary for a book-length pictorial essay on Korean Americans in Washington State and prepare for publication a manuscript entitled Korean Americans in Washington: Their Past and Present, Dr. Daeshik Yu, one of the founding members of the Korean American Historical Society, has been awarded a grant from the University of Washington's Graduate School for this project. Although the UW grant covers only part of the project funds, it is highly significant that the University of Washington officially recognized the important role Korean American history plays in the enrichment of Washington State's cultural history. The proposed pictorial essay will be written in English, incorporating the data and information collected through interviews and questionnaires, and also photographs and documents gathered from the Korean American community and other sources. By realistically portraying various aspects of the Korean American community in the state politics, society, economics, culture, religion, and education we will try in this book to clearly etch the history and contributions made by Korean Americans into the consciousness of Washingtonians, and thus advocate for Korean American interests. 2. Korean American Oral History Project The Korean American Oral History Project is a program which will continue as long as the Korean American Historical Society keeps functioning as a perpetual non-profit corporation. A wide range of Korean American experiences of historical significance will be recorded on tapes through oral history interviews, which will then be transcribed, translated, and edited. Although documents on well-known historical figures are readily accessible, ordinary men and women who have been silently contributing to the foundation of Korean American culture are frequently neglected. The Korean American Oral History Project will focus on documenting the experiences of unsung heroes and heroines, young and old, rich and poor alike. 3. Publication of Journal A Korean American Historical Society Journal will be published regularly to keep its members and the general public informed of our research activities as well as the opinions of concerned Washingtonians. The bilingual journal with a Korean-English facing text is intended to pro-mote an ongoing dialogue between the first and second generation Korean Americans. By presenting issues and problems of common interest in two languages, the journal will try to bridge the ever-widening gap between the old and young generations. It will provide materials for mothers and sons and fathers and daughters to read together in a language they are more comfortable with, and thus enhance their mutual understanding by sharing the thoughts and feelings with one another. All materials produced by our projects will be kept at the Korean American Historical Society for permanent preservation, and a set of duplicates will be sent to appropriate libraries. The country we chose for our second home is a nation of immigrants aspiring to the principles of equality, freedom, and democracy. And no group of people can effectively participate in the democratic process without an accurate sense of who they are and where they have been. We, the founding members of the Korean American Historical Society, urge our fellow Korean Americans in Washington State to join our effort to record where we have been and define who we are. Our task is not simply that of a few individuals, but rather that which concerns everyone in the Korean American community. Your participation and support is essential if our footsteps are not to be buried in the graffiti on ancient walls of some workers' dormitories. Founding members: Kwang Ho Baek, Jae Won Choe, Chul Joon Kim, Hong K. Kim, Young Kil Kwon, Ick-Whan Lee, Ki Lyun Lee, Young Joo Lee, Kun H. Park, Yung D. Woo, Daeshik Yu. Source: "Goals of Korean American Historical Society," The Journal of Korean American Historical Society, Vol. 1, 1985, 40-41."
Korean American Historical Society Copyright © 1998-2003
Korean American Historical Society
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