Do Hyung Kim, the President of the K.W. Lee Center for Leadership and a Korean-American lawyer, has become the first Asian-American to receive the Martin Luther King Day Memorial Human Rights Award.
The K.W. Lee Center for Leadership announced that on January 14, lawyer Do Hyung Kim was honored with the Award of Major Drum for Justice at the 54th annual Martin Luther King Day Commemorative Human Rights Award Ceremony. This event, hosted by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Southern California (SCLC-SC), took place at the Sheraton Hotel at LA International Airport.
For the first time, an Asian individual, specifically a Korean American, has been recognized with the Award of Major Drum for Justice. This award, inspired by the civil rights movement of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, is annually presented to individuals who advocate for the underrepresented and contribute to social change.
Kim’s notable work as President of the K.W. Lee Center for Leadership, where he has been instrumental in advancing civil rights movements and youth leadership education, was lauded by the organizers.
In his acceptance speech, Kim reflected on his academic choices and inspirations, saying, “When I went to Harvard University in memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, I decided to major in African human rights studies. He is the person I love, admire, and want to be.”
Kim also addressed ongoing community challenges, noting, “Thirty years after the riots, our community still feels that not enough has been done to rebuild the Korean-American community,” referencing the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
In addition to his work at the K.W. Lee Center for Leadership, Do Hyung Kim is a LA Koreatown-based lawyer specializing in cases of police brutality, prisoner abuse, employment discrimination, and wage theft. He founded the Center in 2003 to educate Korean-American youth about the 1992 Los Angeles riots and Korean-American identity.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, JUNHAN PARK [park.junhan@koreadaily.com]
