"Retracing Anti-Asian Sentiment" by Ashley Jo

Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, Asians have seen a skyrocketing increase in Asian hate crimes. These violent acts of racial discrimination are not the first of their kind. In this article, Ashley Jo takes readers throughout American history to identify and analyze instances of racism directed towards Asians. It is important to be aware of the racial injustices that Asian Americans have had to endure for a long period of time, continuing in present day.

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"The Sentiment Film: Minari" by Monica Koh

Minari is a breakthrough movie about the life of a Korean family who immigrated to the United States. It received high praise with a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The minari plant is a Korean water celery, which symbolizes the resilience of being a foreigner in America throughout the film. Along with Parasite, Minari is one movie that brings pride to Koreans, especially Korean Americans.

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"Recent Anti-Asian Hate Crimes" by Abby Chung

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused Anti-Asian Hate Crimes to skyrocket. This is the unfortunate reality of the world, specifically America today. Help the Asian-American community be educating yourself on the discrimination they face, spreading awareness about these issues, and donating to support Asian Americans. Hate is a virus, too. We need to band together to limit and eventually stop racism.

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KAYL Executive
"More Than Just Volunteering/KAYL 한국어 봉사" by Audrey Lee

Audrey Lee has been volunteering under KAYL in Korean classes. She notes the hard work that all of the teachers, assistant volunteers, and students are committing to learn Korean. She gives advice on the best approach to introduce a new foreign language to others. Written in English and Korean, this blog demonstrates Audrey’s proficiency in both languages. Read more to gain a deeper insight into the personal lessons Audrey has learned throughout her volunteering experience.

Written by Audrey Lee, 9th Grade, Northwood High School

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"Military Comfort Women" by Donna Kim and Irene Kim

A Harvard Law Professor, John Mark Ramseyer, recently published an article where he claims, without sufficient evidence, that the Japanese military sex slaves were willing "prostitutes" who were able to "negotiate" for substantial wages in a consensual contractual relationship. However, Korean women and girls were taken from their homes and forced into being sex slaves by the Imperial Japanese Army. Still to this day, survivors have not received an apology. Sign the petition reviewed in this article to demand that the Dean of Harvard Law School and the President of Harvard University take disciplinary action upon Professor Ramseyer who violated ethics and a moral conscience as a scholar.

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"Diving Into Seollal" by Monica Koh

Americans are familiar with New Year, a celebration full of fireworks and resolutions. Some may even know about Lunar New Year, but do they know about “Seollal?'“ “Seollal” is Korea’s Lunar New Year, which emphasizes time with the family and respect for elders. Instead of fireworks and resolutions, “Seollal” traditions included eating “tteok” rice cake, a “Sebae” ritual, and more. It is an important holiday that unites Koreans together, especially during the 2020-2021 period of isolation.

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"Finding a Second Home" by Ashley Jo

Every year, millions of people make the decision to immigrate to a new country in hopes of a better life. The United States is well-known for its diversity, harboring about 1/5 of the world’s immigrants. Seojin Pyoun is one of the people who immigrated to the United States from South Korea as a teenager. Read more about her life and the struggles that came with leaving her birthplace to reside in a completely new environment.

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"Growing Korean-American Influence in Congress" by Ashley Jo

Korean Americans are finally getting the representation that they deserve through the victories of Marilyn Strickland, Michelle Steel, and Young Kim. They are the first Korean-American females to get elected to Congress. Read more about what they stand for and what this means for Korean-American citizens as a whole.

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"Hangeul Day" by Irene Kim and Donna Kim

Let’s celebrate Hangeul Day! Hangeul is the Korean alphabet and was created by King Sejong. His goal was to create a language that was easy for every one of his citizens to use.

한글은 세종대왕이 3년 동안의 연구 끝에 만들어진 과학적이고 합리적인 문자입니다. 모든 국민이 글자를 알게 하기 위해 만들었기 때문에 간단하며 배우기가 쉬운 것이 가장 큰 장점입니다. 한국의 모든 분야에 발전의 기본이 되었고 이를 기념하기 위한 날이 한글날입니다.

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"Chuseok Day" by Ashley Jo

Originating back 200 years to an ancient Korean kingdom, Chuseok, or “Korean Thanksgiving,” remains a major festivity in South Korea today. Some traditional characteristics include games, family bonding, and foods such as songpyeon, Asian pears, and jujubes. Despite its origin in South Korea, people of all nationalities are welcome to celebrate this wonderful holiday.

추석은 200년 이상 지내온 한국의 깊은 역사를 가진 대표적인 명절입니다! 이 날은 조상님께 차례를 지낸 후에 가족이 모여 송편, 배, 대추 같은 음식 나누어 먹고 다양한 게임을 즐기며 시간을 보냅니다. 한국사람뿐만 아니라 다양한 인종이 즐길수 있는 아름다운 명절 입니다.

Happy Chuseok!

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