On Aug. 22, the newly organized KAC-Oregon group celebrated the launch of the chapter with 80 friends and supporters gathered at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Downtown Portland.
Sponsored by the Korean Consulate General of Seattle, the kick-off event was attended by Consul General Duk Ho Moon; Consul Chansik Yoon; Greg Caldwell, honorary consul of ROK for Oregon; John Lim, former Oregon state senator; Youlee You, a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge; Chuck Yu, president of the Oregon Korea Foundation; HJ Yu, board president of the Korean Society of Oregon; and Edward Kimmi, president of the Korean Society of Oregon.
Also, community partners, such as Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) and World Affairs Council of Oregon, joined community leaders, professionals, students and representatives of KAC in welcoming the new chapter. Co-founders of KAC, Keith Kim and Charles Kim, KAC National Board President Peter Lee, KAC-WA Vice President Thomas Lee, and KAC-WA former President Shari Song welcomed KAC-Oregon and its mission “to foster a strong Korean American community in Oregon by promoting Korean American participation in civic, legislative and community affairs through advocacy, community service, leadership development and cultural education.”
In her welcome remarks, founding board member and KAC-Oregon’s president Jenny Kim said:
“We are Korean American. What does that mean? That means we have cultural backgrounds, perspectives, and knowledge about both countries and its histories. Our dual identity is a blessing that gives us an opportunity to draw the best from both great, yet different nations, to be leaders to shape our environments and communities. We have the ability to have our Korean American voices heard – politically and culturally – in mainstream American society, and we can be recognized as excellent citizens, contributors, and leaders in the U.S. For that, we need to unite, support each other, and work together as fellow Korean Americans and as citizens of the United States of America.”
The founding board of KAC-Oregon includes:
Jenny Kim, President
Casey Daum Nakata, Vice President
Eunice Kim, Vice President
Young Kim, Treasurer
Anna Choe, Secretary
Grace Lee, Director and Marketing Committee Chair
Samuel Kim, Director and Community Outreach Committee Chair
Don Lee, Director and Technology Chair
For more information about KAC-Oregon, please visit kacoregon.org or contact the chapter at kacoregon@gmail.com.
This post was sponsored by KAC-NA, which is part of KoreAm’s Community Network, a section reserved for local and national nonprofit organizations. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of KoreAm.
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KAC-NATIONAL
Korean American Coalition-National
The Korean American Coalition (KAC) is a non-profit, non-partisan, community advocacy organization. Established in 1983, its mission is to facilitate Korean American participation in civic, legislative, and community affairs, encouraging the community to contribute to and become an integral part of American society. In 1993, the first step towards national representation began, and KAC National was created to launch, support, and lead chapters to collaborate as a nationwide, unified voice.
To contact KAC National, please see below:
Peter Lee
Chair
peterl63@gmail.com
Jane Lee Kwon
Vice Chair (Central Region)
jlkpublic@gmail.com
Hansol Hong
Vice Chair (Western Region)
hansol@robolink.com
James Green
Vice Chair (Eastern Region)
kacatlanta@gmail.com
Chong Choe
NCLC Director
chong.choe@gmail.com
Tracy Kim-Parker
Secretary
tracyykim@gmail.com
