kahuna kahuna
2025년 9월 9일, 화요일
  • 기사제보·독자의견
Weekend
Newsletter
Teen's
SushiNews
KNEWSLA
  • 전체
    • 한인/K-타운
    • LA/OC 로컬
    • 미국 (Ⅰ)
    • 경제/Money (Ⅰ)
    • S.F/California
    • National
    • 부동산/생활경제
    • 세계 (Ⅰ)
    • 한국
    • 엔터테인먼트
    • 오피니언/칼럼
    • 세계/경제/사회
    • 스포츠
    • 이슈/특집
    • 이런일도
    • Senior/Health
    • 여행
    • Food/Restaurant
    • 문화/Book/공연
    • 전문가 칼럼
    • IT/SCI/학술
    • 미디어
    • 자동차/항공
    • 기업스토리
    • Teen’s Press
  • 홈
  • 한인
  • LA/OC
  • S.F/California
  • 미국Ⅰ
  • 세계Ⅰ
  • 경제Ⅰ
  • 한국
  • 연예
  • 스포츠
  • 이슈
  • 화제
  • 문화
  • Teen’s Press
  • 칼럼
No Result
View All Result
  • 전체
    • 한인/K-타운
    • LA/OC 로컬
    • 미국 (Ⅰ)
    • 경제/Money (Ⅰ)
    • S.F/California
    • National
    • 부동산/생활경제
    • 세계 (Ⅰ)
    • 한국
    • 엔터테인먼트
    • 오피니언/칼럼
    • 세계/경제/사회
    • 스포츠
    • 이슈/특집
    • 이런일도
    • Senior/Health
    • 여행
    • Food/Restaurant
    • 문화/Book/공연
    • 전문가 칼럼
    • IT/SCI/학술
    • 미디어
    • 자동차/항공
    • 기업스토리
    • Teen’s Press
  • 홈
  • 한인
  • LA/OC
  • S.F/California
  • 미국Ⅰ
  • 세계Ⅰ
  • 경제Ⅰ
  • 한국
  • 연예
  • 스포츠
  • 이슈
  • 화제
  • 문화
  • Teen’s Press
  • 칼럼
No Result
View All Result
KNEWSLA
Weekend Newsletter
Teen's SushiNews
No Result
View All Result

[Lauren] Forgotten Alliances: Divided by Headlines, United by Struggles

Reclaiming Solidarity: A Call to Action for Black and Asian Unity

2024년 12월 24일
0

Paula Yoo giving her speech (in red) to Hwarang students [Hwarang Youth Foundation]

On December 7, the Hwarang Youth Foundation hosted the Next Generation Identity Forum, an event designed to inspire Korean American students to become compassionate leaders and agents of change. Influential speakers gathered to share stories of resilience, leadership, and solidarity. Among them was Paula Yoo, a writer and journalist, who reflected on the complex and often misunderstood history of Black and Asian American relations.

Yoo’s speech highlighted the cyclical nature of alliances and divisions between these two communities, tracing moments of unity in the fight against systemic oppression alongside the forces that have driven them apart. She emphasized how media misrepresentation and systemic racism perpetuate conflicts, while also underlining shared struggles and the potential for enduring solidarity. Yoo urged attendees to take an active role in breaking these cycles of division, challenging students to become bridge-builders across communities.

Lauren Lee

A History of Unity and Division

Black and Asian communities in America have long fought side by side against systemic oppression. In 1869, Frederick Douglass denounced anti-Chinese immigration laws, and in 1982, Jesse Jackson joined protesters seeking justice for Vincent Chin, a Chinese American murdered in a racially motivated attack. Activists like Yuri Kochiyama exemplified this solidarity, advocating for Black liberation alongside leaders such as Malcolm X.

Yet, systemic forces have fractured these alliances over time. During the 1980s and 1990s, discriminatory housing policies forced Korean immigrants to open businesses in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Economic struggles, cultural misunderstandings, and media exploitation fueled tensions, with sensationalized headlines reducing complex socio-economic dynamics to simplistic narratives of interpersonal conflict.

The term “Black-Korean conflict” gained traction during the 1992 LA Uprisings, shifting attention away from the role of the Los Angeles Police Department in the Rodney King beating and instead framing the issue as one of community-based tensions. This narrative obscured broader institutional failings and perpetuated harmful stereotypes.

The 1992 LA Uprisings

The 1992 LA Uprisings marked a pivotal moment. Nearly half of the damaged properties belonged to Korean Americans, with many shopkeepers facing violence. Media coverage, however, disproportionately focused on armed Korean store owners defending their businesses, reducing their plight to stereotypes of self-reliance while painting Black protesters as destructive.

Decades later, the #RooftopKoreans meme resurfaced, weaponizing history to deepen divisions. As Viet Thanh Nguyen noted, the “model minority” myth traps Asian Americans in a narrative that upholds systemic inequities for all marginalized groups. This myth pits communities of color against one another, undermining collective resistance against shared oppression.

Modern Media and Misrepresentation

Language and cultural barriers continue to complicate solidarity. During the Black Lives Matter protests, Korean activists translated the slogan into “Black Lives are Precious” (흑인의 목숨은 소중하다) to express support, demonstrating the importance of cultural sensitivity and shared recognition of systemic injustice.

Photo by Nicole Baster on Unsplash

However, media sensationalism persists. In 2021, coverage of anti-Asian hate crimes disproportionately emphasized Black perpetrators, despite data showing that most incidents were committed by white assailants. This selective framing reinforces the myth of inherent conflict between marginalized groups, diverting attention from the systemic racism that fuels violence against all communities of color.

The “model minority” myth further exacerbates tensions, portraying Asian Americans as proof of meritocracy while erasing the systemic barriers faced by Black communities. As Cathy Park Hong explains, “It’s a tool of division, not empowerment,” serving to uphold white supremacy.

Reclaiming Solidarity

Despite these challenges, efforts to rebuild alliances endure. The Black Korean Alliance, formed after the 1992 Uprisings, worked to foster understanding through dialogue. More recently, Black-Asian solidarity marches following George Floyd’s murder have demonstrated the enduring potential for unity.

Initiatives such as murals honoring Latasha Harlins and partnerships between Black and Asian organizations underscore that solidarity is not a relic of the past but an active, ongoing pursuit. These efforts remind us that history, though marked by division, also holds lessons of resilience and hope.

Toward a More Just Future

The divisions between Black and Korean communities are not inevitable—they are engineered by systemic racism and perpetuated by media sensationalism. Recognizing the common oppressor is the first step toward dismantling these cycles.

As Paula Yoo reminds us, “History repeats itself, but so does hope.” The ongoing fight for justice and unity demonstrates that, despite past divisions, solidarity remains possible. Together, these communities can rewrite the narrative, forging a future rooted in mutual understanding and shared liberation.

<Student Reporter Lauren Lee>laurenlee0808@gmail.com

Lauren Lee is a Senior student in The Science Academy STEM Magnet

- Copyright © KNEWSLA.COM, 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지

답글 남기기 응답 취소

이메일 주소는 공개되지 않습니다. 필수 필드는 *로 표시됩니다

최신 등록 기사

[석승환의 MLB] 집중하자 앤절스!

대규모 마약 단속, 미 전역 강타 …시날로아 조직원 600여명 체포

한국 전용비자 신설, 10년째 의회 계류 중

“조지아 현대차 사태, 전문직 비자 부족 문제 보여줘”

[김해원 칼럼 (101)] 캘리포니아주 노동청의 이민 근로자 보호 방침

“푸틴은 더 이상 트럼프를 달래려 하지 않는다”

리움미술관, 430년 전 ‘까치호랑이’(호작도) 최초 공개

‘대중문화교류위원장’에 JYP 박진영 임명 … “정부 일 부담…’K-팝 도약’에 최선”

“직장 잃어도 재취업 어렵다”… 미 고용 전망 최악

현대차 사태 구금에 일본인 3명 …”중국인 8~9명 포함”

연준이 금리를 인하해선 안 되는 이유…”AI 거품만 키워”-FT

데이브 민, 현대차 사태 강력 비판 “무차별 단속, 외국인 혐오와 경제위축 초래”

‘2025 LA한인축제’ 역대급 규모 10월 개막’ .. K팝 콘테스트·푸드 페스티벌·YB밴드공연

빅베어 흰머리 독수리, 주택단지 개발 충돌 … “독수리 핑계 개발 방해”

실시간 랭킹

[단독] 70대 한인 여성 필랜 자택서 피살, 실종 5일만 사체 발견 … 여성 세입자 살해 혐의 체포

[단독] 한남체인, 반격 나섰다 … NLRB 상대 소송 제기, “권한 위반”주장

“마스크 다시 착용해야” …캘리포니아 코로나 급속 확산 중

[단독] 나성영락상조회 투표 무산, 회원 대다수 보이콧 .

18억 달러 잭팍 마침내 터졌다 … 당첨자는 2명

한인사회 충격, “열심히 일했는데 배신감 … 밀려나는 느낌” .. WSJ

연방 대법원, “인종·언어 근거 이민단속 허용” 판결 파장 … LA 등 가주 7개 카운티 대상

이민단속 현장에 현대차 직원 없었던 이유는?

Prev Next

  • 회사소개
  • 개인정보취급방침
  • 이용 약관
  • 광고문의
  • 기사제보
  • 페이스북
  • 유튜브
© KNEWSLA All Rights Reserved.
No Result
View All Result
  • 홈
  • 한인/K-타운
  • LA/OC 로컬
  • 미국
  • 경제/Money
  • S.F/California
  • National
  • 부동산/생활경제
  • 세계
  • 한국
  • 엔터테인먼트
  • 오피니언/칼럼
  • 세계/경제/사회
  • 스포츠
  • 이슈/특집
  • 이런일도
  • IT/SCI/학술
  • Senior/Health
  • 여행
  • Food/Restaurant
  • 문화/Book/공연
  • 전문가 칼럼
  • IT/SCI/학술
  • 미디어
  • 자동차/항공
  • 기업스토리
  • Teen’s Press

Copyright © KNEWSLA All rights reserved.