On November 6th, 2020, the GW Institute of Korean Studies hosted the 28th Annual Hahn Moo-Sook Colloquium in the Korean Humanities, with this year’s discussion topic, “From Enmity to Empathy: African American and Korean American Communities since the 1992 Los Angeles Riots.” In a time where the call for civil justice and unity is being vocalized louder than ever, GWIKs comes together with academics and experts from both the African American and Korean American communities to talk about relations and cultural exchange between both communities stemming from the infamous 1992 Los Angeles Riots.
After a brief welcome and introduction by GWIKs Director, Jisoo Kim, opening remarks were given by Caroline Laguerre-Brown, who serves as the Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement here at GW. Reflecting on hearing about the Los Angeles Riots as a young woman growing up in New York, Laguerre-Brown describes her personal experiences witnessing African American and Korean American relations in her home state, noting it to be like a tinder that could alight at any moment. In a time where current events have allowed voices unheard to be expressed for the promotion of diversity and inclusion stronger than ever, Laguerre-Brown emphasizes how Academic is the perfect space to have these complex conversations in order to create spaces that embrace diversity for all from all walks of life.
To diving into the historical backdrop of the event and examine how African American and Korean American relations have evolved since, Dr. Kyeyoung Park, Professor of Anthropology and Asian American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Dr. Edward Change, Professor and Founding Director of the Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) took the audience through the events of the 1992 riots and what has changed since. Prior to the riots themselves, African American and Korean American tensions had gradually been building since the 1980s which Dr. Park attributes to the underlying racial hierarchy in American push by white culture and white nationalism.
The riots themselves broke out as a response to the murder of black ninth-grader Latasha Harlins by shopkeeper Soon Ja Du, but the underpinnings that many seem to ignore is the degree to which the mainstream media emphasized the clashing and competition against both minority groups. The competition in LA, primarily aligned with the socioeconomic inequality in the area, had both African Americans and Korean Americans feeling discriminated against and disrespected by one another. The by-product of this civil unrest to follow from the riots did however pushed Korean Americans to become more politically involved in their community and in American politics as a whole, a moment that is now known as Saigu (), or what Dr. Chang refers to as the “rebirth of Korean American Identity.”
Since the 1992 riots, efforts had been made to unify both communities and foster a welcoming space of diversity. In order to improve relations, Korean Americans made efforts to engage with and work together with the African Americans to break down those social barriers. While economic disparities are still an issue between both communities, we see both sides coming together in racial empathy and solidarity, especially now during the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM). In considering what we can do for the future to learn from this, Dr. Chang emphasized the need for multicultural education and diverse leadership in politics and nonprofit organizations to continue to facilitate peaceful and unified relations between minority communities.
One the definitive examples of cultural exchange and embracement of diversity between African Americans and Koreans is through Arts. Dr. Crystal Anderson, Affiliate Professor in Korea Studies at George Mason University, walked us through how K-Pop and Korean R&B has taken cues and influence from soul, gangster rap, hip-hop, and Black R&B. Now more than ever, both communities are taking notes and listening each other through the creation music, now popularized by a worldwide audience from a diverse number of places around the world. Dr. Aku Kadogo, Chair Department of Theatre and Performing Arts from Spelman College, walked us through her experience working in theatre in South Korea with one of her colleagues and coming back to America with them in a cultural exchange of the performing art, combining the best of both experiences to create a short film that captures the heart and soul of two worlds.
In closing out of this journey, we are reminded that while there are still challenges ahead of us in these times of uncertainty, coming together in understanding lessens that uncertainty. Diversity is something that should be embraced, and we stronger together than apart.
