Los Angeles, CA - The Korean American Coalition of Los Angeles (KAC) and the Latino Coalition of Los Angeles (LCLA) find fault with Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred’s decision to delay the suspension of Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel. KAC and LCLA will stand together against racism in all its forms. KAC Executive Director Joon Bang says, “We live in a country where we have the opportunity to celebrate our differences rather than discriminate and use our differences to mock or put each other down. Whether Asian, Latino, black, or white, we should all stand against racism towards our neighbors.” LCLA Advisory Committee Member Joseph Chicas stressed, “Baseball is supposed to be America’s pastime, not a tool to divide our very own country. The Commissioner of MLB decided to protect business before its fans and our country, which is already in deep pain from divisiveness! This type of decision is as disappointing as the racist gesture that was made!” During Game 3 of the World Series, Gurriel hit a homerun off of LA Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish, then returned to the Astros dugout, used his fingers to slant his eyes, and mouthed “chinito,” a term that Gurriel recognized was offensive. On October 28, Manfred announced that Gurriel will undergo sensitivity training and an unpaid five-game suspension in 2018. However, KAC and LCLA find that the delay of this suspension diminishes the seriousness of such a blatantly racist and offensive act in the World Series. Neither competition nor the graciousness with which Darvish responded to this racist gesture should have excused such disrespect, and an immediate suspension would have shown dedication to diversity and sportsmanship. ### Educate | Embrace | Empower Korean American Coalition-Los Angeles (KAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1983 to promote the civic and civil rights interests of the Korean American community. KAC endeavors to achieve these goals through education, community organization, leadership development, and coalition-building with diverse communities. Media Coverage: Rafu Shimpo
Korean American Coalition Assists Over 250 Section 8 Waiting List Applicants Los Angeles, CA – Between October 16 and 20, KAC has provided application assistance to more than 250 Korean community members regarding the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) Section 8 Wait List. Over the last two weeks, KAC has received more than 350 calls and walk-in requests regarding Section 8. KAC would like to thank the 15 volunteers who helped us offer this much-needed assistance to our Korean community. Due to the level of need in our community, particularly among the Korean senior population, KAC will continue to offer Section 8 bilingual application assistance between 11am and 1pm on Monday, October 23 and Tuesday, October 24. We ask that applicants prepare the following information before coming to the KAC office:
“I am so pleased that KAC has been able to help so many local community members sign up for the recently opened Section 8 waiting list,” said KAC Board Member Robert Lee Ahn, “We have a significant shortage of affordable housing options in the City and we must continue our efforts to help Angelenos find the affordable housing options that they deserve.” KAC Executive Director Joon Bang said, “Supporting our community for Section 8 housing has been an incredibly humbling and eye opening experience for our organization and volunteers. Nothing hits harder than having to help people in our community who resemble my own mother and grandmother. The need for affordable housing is tremendous in our community and supporting over 300 people in just a few days to sign up for the Section 8 housing wait list is proof of that.” The HACLA Section 8 Waiting List will be open until October 29 at 5pm, and applicants will learn whether or not they have been selected for the waiting list by December 1 through email. Applicants will be able to access their application status with their confirmation number at hacla.hvlist.org. # # #
Educate | Embrace | Empower Korean American Coalition-Los Angeles (KAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1983 to promote the civic and civil rights interests of the Korean American community. KAC endeavors to achieve these goals through education, community organization, leadership development, and coalition-building with diverse communities. Korean American Coalition to Assist Applicants for Section 8 Waiting List Los Angeles, CA – Section 8 is a federal Housing Assistance program that provides eligible low-income households with the opportunity to live in privately-owned properties. Participants pay about 30% of their income towards rent with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) paying the rest of the contract rent to the landlord. The HACLA Section 8 Waiting List has been closed since 2004, but HACLA will be selecting another 20,000 names through a lottery system during a two-week period this year: October 16 to 29, 2017. KAC recognizes that there is a portion of the Korean American community that is not English proficient and, despite their need for this program, faces language barriers in applying for the Section 8 Waiting List. Therefore, KAC will be opening its doors to provide bilingual application assistance in Korean and English from October 16 to 20, 2017 between 11am and 1pm at the KAC office. We ask that applicants prepare the following information before coming to the KAC office:
# # # Educate | Embrace | Empower Korean American Coalition-Los Angeles (KAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1983 to promote the civic and civil rights interests of the Korean American community. KAC endeavors to achieve these goals through education, community organization, leadership development, and coalition-building with diverse communities. Media Coverage: Radio Korea (10/10), Radio Seoul, YTN Radio (10/10), Korea Times (10/11), Radio Korea (10/15), SBS News, Korea Times (10/17), Korea Daily, YTN Radio (10/19)
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