Message from KAC
How do we, as an organization create meaningful impact and empower the community we serve in the most thoughtful and effective way? That was the question we carried into 2017. With an entirely new staff and leadership, we wanted to be intentional about how we steward and advance the Korean American Coalition’s 34 year old mission to empower, educate, and embrace the largest Korean diaspora outside of Asia, here in Los Angeles.
Many of the needs in the Korean American community are often hidden behind a facade created by cultural nuance and easily overlooked because of the all too common, and outdated, model minority myth. This year, our biggest test as an organization came in the form of an error on a sample ballot for a Congressional race that took place in the heart of our community. A number of sample ballots labeled candidates in a different order than on the official ballot. At first glance, it may not look like much, as native English speakers would simply use the official ballot to vote, and those familiar with the voting process could contact the County to address the issue. However, the sample ballots that were affected were Korean-language sample ballots. The majority of those who received them are limited-English proficient and heavily reliant on their sample ballot to vote. This error created an additional barrier in an already painstaking process, which led to confusion, frustration, and lack of trust in the election process, ultimately discouraging Korean American citizens from exercising their right to vote.
KAC’s role in galvanizing our community to vote is as old as our mission. It stems from the foundational belief that our vote is a tangible extension of our community’s voice. Therefore, we mobilized our community members, door-knocked to find evidence of the misprinted Korean-language sample ballots that would have led citizens to vote for the wrong candidate, and held Los Angeles County accountable for lack of transparency and ownership of the issue. KAC’s action led to the County’s formal statement quantifying for public record that 777 Korean American voters may have been affected and the adherence of our recommendations to remedy the wrong impacting our voters. We led the charge because our community’s voice matters.
KAC was at the forefront on many issues affecting our community this year and we are pleased to share with you our progress in this report. As we enter into the 35th year of KAC’s rich journey, our commitment to empowering the Korean American community is as fervent as ever.
On behalf of those we serve, thank you for standing with us. Our work is possible because of the remarkable donors, partners, and volunteers, like you.
Together, we are the Korean American Coalition.
Sincerely,
Many of the needs in the Korean American community are often hidden behind a facade created by cultural nuance and easily overlooked because of the all too common, and outdated, model minority myth. This year, our biggest test as an organization came in the form of an error on a sample ballot for a Congressional race that took place in the heart of our community. A number of sample ballots labeled candidates in a different order than on the official ballot. At first glance, it may not look like much, as native English speakers would simply use the official ballot to vote, and those familiar with the voting process could contact the County to address the issue. However, the sample ballots that were affected were Korean-language sample ballots. The majority of those who received them are limited-English proficient and heavily reliant on their sample ballot to vote. This error created an additional barrier in an already painstaking process, which led to confusion, frustration, and lack of trust in the election process, ultimately discouraging Korean American citizens from exercising their right to vote.
KAC’s role in galvanizing our community to vote is as old as our mission. It stems from the foundational belief that our vote is a tangible extension of our community’s voice. Therefore, we mobilized our community members, door-knocked to find evidence of the misprinted Korean-language sample ballots that would have led citizens to vote for the wrong candidate, and held Los Angeles County accountable for lack of transparency and ownership of the issue. KAC’s action led to the County’s formal statement quantifying for public record that 777 Korean American voters may have been affected and the adherence of our recommendations to remedy the wrong impacting our voters. We led the charge because our community’s voice matters.
KAC was at the forefront on many issues affecting our community this year and we are pleased to share with you our progress in this report. As we enter into the 35th year of KAC’s rich journey, our commitment to empowering the Korean American community is as fervent as ever.
On behalf of those we serve, thank you for standing with us. Our work is possible because of the remarkable donors, partners, and volunteers, like you.
Together, we are the Korean American Coalition.
Sincerely,
Joon Bang
KAC Executive Director |
Susie Oh
KAC Board Chair |