Korean-American students in Southern California are gaining attention for their proactive efforts to address and voice concerns about social issues within their communities.
These students are taking the lead in condemning societal problems that older generations might overlook, actively working towards making a difference.
One notable example is the Korean American Youth Leaders Training (KAYLT), a youth leadership initiative under the nonprofit K.W. (Kyung-won) Lee Center for Leadership. Recently, students from this program organized a protest against the authorities following the police shooting of Yong Yang.
Matty Kim (22), the 2024 KAYLT supervisor, shared, “We attended the first protest with the students and realized that the incident wasn’t receiving the attention it deserved, given its severity. We felt the need to amplify our voices, which led us to organize the second and third protests by creating flyers and spreading awareness through social media.”
At the first protest, major Korean American organizations and politicians, including the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles, and the Korean American Coalition, were noticeably absent.
Instead, about 10 students from KAYLT took the lead, organizing the protest themselves and launching social media campaigns to raise awareness about police brutality and the need to improve the police response to individuals with mental health issues.
“The strength of young people lies in speaking out against injustice while maintaining a positive outlook and hope,” Kim said. “Especially for the youth who grew up in Koreatown, there’s a deep sense of attachment to the community. While we felt anger towards the police after the Yong Yang incident, the fear that other members of the community could become victims like him fueled our drive for change.”
Another group of Korean American students is striving to bridge the socioeconomic gap in arts education.
Lana Kim (16), the founder of “Find Your Light OC (FYL),” is leading this effort in Orange County. Since founding FYL in 2022, Kim has organized musical camps each summer for children from low-income and homeless families in the Santa Ana area.
Typically, musical camps for general students cost around $400 to $500 per week. Kim, a student at the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), established FYL with the goal of supporting underserved communities through arts education.
Lana’s mother, Shana Kim, explained, “We collaborate with nonprofits like KidWorks, the Santa Ana Public Library, OC Rescue Mission, and the Boys & Girls Club to offer musical camp opportunities to children from low-income families. Despite the longstanding issue of educational disparities in the community due to wealth gaps, few have stepped forward to address this.”
Lana Kim expressed her commitment to helping children in underserved communities find their own light, saying, “I want to give them equal opportunities, and I’m working to expand our programs in the community.” She added, “We’re currently partnering with schools in Geoje, South Korea, to provide children there with the same opportunities and access that American students enjoy.”
BY SUAH JANG, YOUNGNAM KIM [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
