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2009AnnuAl RepoRt

MinKwon CenteR foR CoMMunity ACtion (formerly YKASEC)

Celebrating Our History, Building a Movement for Action

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ouR MiSSionThe MinKwon Center for Community Action (formerly YKASEC) was established in 1984 to meet the needs and concerns of the Korean American community through five program areas: Community Organizing and Advocacy, Social Services, Civic Participation, Youth Empowerment, and Culture.

The MinKwon Center places a special emphasis on meeting the needs of our marginalized community members who have less access to resources, including the youth, the elderly, recent immigrants, low-income residents, and limited English proficient residents. Our goals are to educate community members about issues that are impacting immigrant communities, including the Korean American community; to increase Korean American civic participation; to promote immigrant rights through long-term organizing, advocacy and education programs; to serve the marginalized members of our community through various social service programs; and to preserve our cultural roots by involving members of our community in projects that promote our ethnic and cultural heritage.

LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY, KNOW OUR ROOTS LIVE IN HARMONY

바르게살자 뿌리를알자 더불어살자

and

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Dear Friends,

2009 was truly a landmark year for the MinKwon Center for Community Action.

In October 2009, we celebrated 25 years of history as the Young Korean American Service & Education Center (YKASEC). Founded in 1984 by ten Korean Americans in Jackson Heights who had a progressive vision of equality, civil rights, and human rights, YKASEC has embarked on a remarkable journey – organizing and mobilizing community members around immigrant rights, providing a wide array of free social and legal services, leading our community to participate in civic and electoral systems, and building a new generation of youth leaders. During these past 25 years, we’ve grown beyond the Korean American community to serve the diverse set of communities within which we live.

In 2009, we changed our name from YKASEC to the MinKwon Center for Community Action. Our new name truly captures our unchanged mission - to empower our community members. The word “MinKwon” (민권) means “civil rights” in Korean, and we seek to advance “civil rights” in a broad sense – to fight for full rights and justice for immigrants, low-income people, and other marginalized communities. In addition, we are the MinKwon “Center for Community Action” because we are a community center open to all, and one that ultimately holds grassroots advocacy and organizing - community action - as its core mission while providing critically-needed services to our community members.

In 2009, we engaged in exciting and innovative efforts to further this mission. Highlights from 2009:

• We fought against potentially devastating city and state budget cuts to basic essential services for community members. We served as a Steering Committee member of the One New York Coalition, a group of nearly 200 organizations that fought against budget cuts. We also co-founded the 12% and Growing Coalition, the first-ever coalition of 40 Asian American community groups to fight budget cuts and highlight the glaring lack of resources for the Asian American community. As a member organization of the New York Immigration Coalition, we actively engaged in budget advocacy to restore critical funding for marginalized communities.• We helped more than 1,100 community members with free legal and social service assistance. We significantly grew our legal and social services – housing, labor, immigration, tax filings - to meet surging demand, and established ourselves as the first Single Stop site in Flushing and the first Asian American Single Stop site in New York City. • We registered more than 13,000 new voters of diverse ethnicities to total more than 40,000 since 2004. We also mobilized voters by making 7,000 telephone calls, held a successful candidate forum for District 20 City Council candidates, and engaged in a comprehensive voter protection effort.• We empowered our youth through action, as our youth program led the first-ever comprehensive Flushing community needs assessment, and organized the first “Dare 2 DREAM” Conference for 150 youth to promote the academic dreams of immigrant youth.• We continued our efforts to advocate for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) to shed light on our broken immigration system and push for change. We organized a Queens Community Forum on CIR with other Queens community organization that drew 100 community members as well as mobilized community members to participated in a National Conference Call and a City-wide rally in front of the Varick Street Detention Center for International Human Rights Day.

After a quarter-century, we stand as the strongest Korean American organization in New York organizing a base of informed, active community members; the only group in New York that offers a wide range of free, basic legal services to the Asian American community; the leading Asian American voter empowerment group, and a bridge-building institution committed to working with diverse communities. We hope that over the next 25 years, you will join us in our efforts to achieve our original progressive vision of community empowerment.

Sincerely,

S.J. Jung Steven Choi, Esq.Board President Executive Director

welCoMe

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On October 21, 1984, the MinKwon Center for Community Action (formerly YKASEC) was founded in Jackson Heights by a group of ten young Korean Americans who had a vision of creating an open community center ("madangjip" in Korean), called for the Korean American community.

oRGAniZAtionAl HiStoRy:Celebrating 25 Years

These founding members had a vision of what they called the Young Korean American Service & Education Center (YKASEC) would be - a “madangjip” rooted in a grassroots philosophy that by bringing together community members and by working in coalitions, we could achieve amazing feats of social justice – and ultimately create an “ideal society” free of racism, sexism, and economic oppression.

Over the next 25 years, the MinKwon Center for Community Action has maintained this philosophy, symbolized by our founding motto, “Live Righteously, Know our Roots, Live in Harmony.” This spirit and philosophy remains the foundation of the MinKwon Center’s advocacy, community organizing, social services, civic participation, youth empowerment, and cultural efforts.

The 1980’s – Putting Down Roots in America In the 1980s, YKASEC thrived as the “madangjip” where community members – elderly, low-income persons, limited-English persons – could access basic social services such as helping people apply for government benefits, register for senior housing, and obtain citizenship. With volunteer lawyers from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), we started the first-ever legal clinic for the Korean American community in 1984 to provide crucially needed free legal assistance on immigration law, racial discrimination and violence, and small business assistance.

Our grassroots education and cultural efforts also began to flourish. In 1985, we created Binari, a Korean cultural troupe to revive traditional Korean “grassroots” art & culture, and to educate young Korean Americans and other communities about these forgotten arts. Through performances and festivals, Binari brought together thousands of community members to celebrate, embrace these traditions, and share in the performances.

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The 1990’s - Advancing Immigrant Rights through Civic ParticipationThe 1990’s saw profound changes in the political climate and in our own work. We saw a surge in anti-immigrant sentiment, stoked by reactionary politicians and symbolized by increasingly hostile policies – increased deportations, sharp cuts to social benefits even for green-card holders. The Los Angeles riots in 1992 also forced the Korean American community to realize that it could not escape the deep-rooted social problems that plagued the rest of American society.

In response, YKASEC began to engage in full-scale organizing, education, and advocacy efforts. We stepped up our community education efforts to deconstruct anti-immigrant arguments and raise awareness of immigrants’ contributions. We worked with other civil rights organizations to initiate the “Fix ‘96” Campaign to fight against anti-immigrant laws that made it much harder for immigrants to reunite with their families, remain here in the country, or access benefits. In 1996, YKASEC launched our Paper Plate Campaign as part of the “Fix ‘96” efforts where we mobilized hundreds of Korean seniors to write on paper plates to protest benefit cuts to elderly immigrants.

The surge in anti-immigrant hostility that began in the 1990’s made the lives of immigrants and Korean Americans that much harder. But it was also a moment for our community and for YKASEC to awaken politically through our strengthened advocacy, organizing, and empowerment efforts.

The 2000’s - From Justice for Immigrants to Justice for AllThe September 11th, 2001 attacks at the World Trade Center and Pentagon wrought monumental changes in our society - “national security” became emphasized, while the human and civil rights of immigrants and the American public were threatened.

Against this backdrop, YKASEC redoubled our advocacy and organizing efforts. In 2004, we played a key role in forming the NY Coalition for Immigrant Rights to Drivers’ Licenses and organized hundreds of community members to fight for equal access to drivers’ licenses. YKASEC also launched our 2006 “Sending Immigrants’ Pictures” Campaign that gathered over 5,000 immigrants’ pictures to advocate for immigration reform. YKASEC also began to engage broader constituencies - in 2008, YKASEC launched our Truth about Immigrants Campaign with the NAACP – Northeast Queens on a grassroots educational campaign to dispel myths about immigrants. In 2009, YKASEC co-founded the 12% and Growing Coalition to bring together 40 Asian-American organizations to fight against budget cuts and promote funding equity for underserved minority communities.

YKASEC also began to significantly strengthen our Civic Participation and Youth Empowerment efforts. In 2004, YKASEC launched its New Immigrant Voters Registration Drive – an effort that has resulted in registering nearly 41,000 new immigrant voters, and in 2008, YKASEC launched the first-ever nonpartisan canvassing drive in Flushing, knocking on nearly 1,000 Korean American voters’ doors. YKASEC’s Youth Empowerment Program also expanded from a summer initiative into a year-round program to provide youth with experience in community activism and leadership development. YEP participants have worked tirelessly to pass the DREAM Act to allow immigrant students to access higher education, and in 2009

YKASEC’s Youth organized a “Dare 2 DREAM” Conference for 150 youth participants with educational panels, forums, and performances.

YKASEC’s Social Services Program and Immigrant Rights Legal Clinic also began to expand as a stout bulwark against poverty, offering new services for low-income tax help, immigrant bank accounts, and food stamps. In 2009, YKASEC launched our Single Stop site to provide a full range of legal services on immigration, labor, housing, and civil rights – the first-ever in Flushing and the first for the Asian American community in New York City - and hired a Chinese community outreach coordinator to offer services to the growing Chinese community for the first time.

For YKASEC, the 2000’s brought daunting new challenges and historic opportunities. As we worked to solve the problems facing the immigrant community, we also began to work directly with all community members - regardless of ethnicity or origin - to shape the future of our community.

2009 – From YKASEC to the MinKwon Center for Community ActionIn the summer of 2008, YKASEC began a re-branding process to develop a new name, logo, and identity. Led by a team of board, staff, and consultants, we went through a rigorous process of feedback, analysis, and discussion, ultimately deciding on the “MinKwon Center for Community Action.” The word “MinKwon” (민권) means “civil rights” in Korean, and we believe that advancing civil rights - fighting for full rights and justice for all – is central to our mission. We remain a community center – “madangjip” - open to all, and we hold grassroots advocacy and organizing - community action - as our core mission. On October 15, 2009, we announced our new name change at our 25th Anniversary Gala.

Through the past 25 years, we have grown into a dynamic civil rights organization with a tremendous local and national impact. For the next 25 years and beyond, we look forward to working to achieve our vision of social justice as the MinKwon Center for Community Action.

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The MinKwon Center for Community Action believes that community action - grassroots organizing efforts, community educational initiatives, and advocacy and mobilization campaigns - is the heart of what we do.

The MinKwon Center engaged in major efforts to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the most critical piece of Federal policy for immigrant communities in the United States. On February 2nd, the MinKwon Center joined with other New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) member organizations to meet with the recently inaugurated New York State Senator Kristen Gillibrand and urge the Senator to pledge support to push for immigration reform. We continued this campaign by mobilizing community members for the May 1st Workers’ Rights day and the “Million-Person March for Immigration Reform” with dozens of other New York City immigrant rights organizations.

The MinKwon Center continued to push this issue forward in the second half of the year. On August 27th, the MinKwon Center initiated a Queens Town Hall Forum at the Macedonia A.M.E. Church in Flushing that invited elected officials to hear directly from affected community members about the critical need for immigration reform. By working with five other Queens immigrant rights organizations, we brought more than 100 community members to this event. “On December 10th, International Human Rights Day, the MinKwon Center mobilized more than 40 community members to lead a grassroots mobilization rally – which included direct testimony from a MinKwon Center member – in front of the Varick Street detention center to call for an end to deportations and to urgently pass reform.

CoMMunity oRGAniZinG & ADVoCACy

We focus much of our efforts on our community in Flushing, Queens, the home of one of the largest Korean and Asian American communities in New York City. As new arrivals, these immigrant community members face serious language and cultural barriers – and as a result, often run into serious legal issues regarding debts, missed payments, and other problems simply because they lack cultural familiarity and the ability to communicate in English. Despite being active in the workforce, Asian Americans suffer from the highest poverty rate in Flushing, and Asian Americans’ per capita median household income in Flushing is only $12,406 – almost 40% lower than that of white residents. Because of these difficulties, Asian Americans in Flushing face a host of labor, immigration, and housing

problems, and often lack knowledge about the public benefits and services available to them.For 25 years, the MinKwon Center’s Advocacy & Organizing efforts have engaged and helped these community members find their own long-term, community-led solutions to these problems, particularly regarding workers’ issues, housing issues, and immigrants’ rights issues. To this end, the MinKwon Center has initiated a comprehensive set of organizing efforts: street and grassroots outreach, weekly community conversations and monthly general member meetings, and major mobilizations through various exciting campaigns to find solutions to immigrant rights on the city, state, and federal levels. Through these efforts, we seek to grow a base of active community members who become agents of long-term social change.

Working for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

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In 2009, the MinKwon Center continued to work closely with the NYIC in pushing for critical legislative actions for immigrants. The MinKwon Center participated in both Immigrants Action Day in Albany on February 10th and City Advocacy Day on March 10th, by mobilizing 50 community members each to advocate directly for legislative items that would affect immigrants in the areas of education, housing, public safety, language access, worker protections, and health.

The MinKwon Center played a leading role in mobilizing and organizing low-income immigrant and Asian American community members to fight against devastating service cuts in the New York City and New York State budgets. The MinKwon Center served on the Steering Committee of the 200-member-strong “One New York Coalition,” a group of social service providers and community organizations representing low-income communities affected by budget cuts. The MinKwon Center played a leading role at a mass rally on March 5th in front of City Hall, engaging in lobby visits and gathering petition signatures.

In addition, the MinKwon Center co-founded the 12% and Growing Coalition, the first-ever coalition of 40 Asian-led and serving-organizations in New York City created to highlight the fact that the Asian American community is more than 12% of the City’s population and is the fastest growing community, yet Asian community organizations only receive 0.24% of all social service funding – a shocking disparity that underlines the lack of resources for the Asian American community. The MinKwon Center played a leading role in mobilizing community members and organizations for the first-ever Asian Pacific American Rally and Advocacy Day on April 22nd in front of City Hall that drew 200 participants. Because of these collaborative efforts, we helped play a key role in restoring funding on both the city and state levels to several services vital to the well-being of our communities.

Striving for a Fair Budget

Advocating for Immigrant Communities, Fighting for Equality for All

“I immigrated here to the United States with my wife in 1979 and currently live in Corona, Queens. In the beginning of my immigrant life, while holding a bunch of different odd jobs, I started to become accustomed to the immigrant life. 1990 was the first time I heard of the MinKwon Center. At that time, I couldn’t be involved due to my wife’s medical condition, but I knew since then that the MinKwon Center was one of the most vibrant and active Korean American organizations. As I heard more news about the community work and growth of the MinKwon Center, I started to become more interested in taking part in its activities.

With immigrant rights advocacy, civic empowerment, and various legal and social service programs, being part of the MinKwon Center gave me a sense of empowerment. Through the MinKwon Center, I took part in rallies in Albany, Washington DC and gave me a sense of what it means to be part of a community. I’ve also received help in getting a cell phone through the SafeLink social service program. In light of the recent name change from YKASEC to the MinKwon Center, I started to take part in monthly community meetings and proactively became part of its events. Through the meetings, I learn about the current issues facing immigrants like myself and the Korean American community. I currently take part in rallies, including the most recent Albany, City Days, and March for America’s Future mobilization in Washingtion DC. I also take part in the Census 2010 outreach efforts.

For the past 25 years, the MinKwon Center has taken great strides to empower the Korean American community through its various efforts. I hope to, with my small efforts, contribute to the MinKwon Center and its work.” -Choi Sung Mo

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SoCiAl & leGAl SeRViCeS

For 25 years, the MinKwon Center has provided free services for our community members - especially low-income and recent immigrants - through our Social Services Program.

Today, this Program provides a comprehensive range of social and legal services to low-income community members, including Korean Americans, limited-English-proficient immigrants and other community members seeking assistance. While many community members continue to face major obstacles and legal problems, our goal is to provide critically-needed, high-quality services that will alleviate their struggles and educate the community on their rights.

The MinKwon Center’s Social Services Program has strengthened and expanded our service-delivery ever since our founding to meet the day-to-day needs and concerns of our community members. In 2004, the MinKwon Center worked together with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) to launch New York City’s first-ever legal services clinic for the Korean American community, focusing on low-income Korean immigrants facing workplace abuses and workers rights violations.

With the recent economic downturn, immigrant and low-income communities remain especially vulnerable to a poor economy – they remain excluded from benefits and susceptible to harsh government policies. The MinKwon Center has responded to this increased need by significantly expanding its social and legal services.

In July of 2009, the MinKwon Center became the very first Asian American community organization in New York City – and the first in Flushing - to host a Single Stop USA site that offers an expansive set of services in one location. We expanded our services to the Chinese American community with the hiring of our first full-time Chinese staff member, and increased our housing and labor legal assistance with the hiring of a new staff attorney. We also were the first organization to launch a free foreclosure assistance clinic to Korean Americans.

At the end of 2009, we had served over 1,100 community members through assistance in accessing public benefits, obtaining unemployment benefits, filing wage and hour claims, applying for naturalization and green cards, and helping tenants address repair, lease, and rental problems.

Increasing Social & Legal Assistance in Times of Need

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Low-income and immigrant communities frequently face daily economic struggles that are only perpetuated by the lack of knowledge and misinformation on their rights prevalent in the community – and our community members are no exception. Our Social Services Program works to curb this problem by providing critically-needed “know-your-rights” education to community members. To complement our services, our Program staff engages our clients and community members in a comprehensive range of community education workshops – seminars on worker health & safety, labor rights, tenants’ rights, immigration fraud, small claims court, and financial empowerment.

Additionally, we educate the community through a grassroots outreach and media campaign - utilizing ethnic media outlets - that includes street outreach, press conferences, weekly opinion editorials, targeted mailings, radio and television appearances, and online social media. Through these educational efforts, our Social Services Program seeks to equip our community members with the basic tools to fight for their own rights and to protect themselves towards a vision of long-term economic empowerment and self-determination.

Educating Community Members on Their Rights Ms. “Kim” (Immigration Legal Services): Ms. “Kim” had been living in the country as an undocumented immigrant for many years. When her husband became a U.S. citizen, Ms. Kim finally could obtain legal status; yet she could not do so for years because of the large costs involved. The MinKwon Center provided free legal representation to help her adjust her status, and within six months, Ms. Kim became a legal permanent resident. Ms. Kim said, “My baby is due in February and I was worried that I wouldn’t have health insurance – but now that I have my green card, I can get health insurance for myself and my baby as a legal resident of this country. I’m very happy and thankful to the MinKwon Center.”

Ms. “Lee” (Workers’ Rights Legal Services): Ms. Lee first became a client of the MinKwon Center for Community Action on May 5th, 2005. For three years, “Ms. Lee” had worked as a waitress at a restaurant owned and managed by her employer, Ms. “Ahn”. During that time, Ms. Ahn repeatedly failed to pay Ms. Lee her weekly salary. MinKwon Center attorneys filed a lawsuit against Ms. Ahn and won a trial in Federal court that resulted in a judgment against Ms. Ahn for $34,294.10 in unpaid Federal and New York State minimum wage and overtime compensation.

Immigrant Rights Legal ServicesImmigration Services •CitizenshipandNaturalization •GreenCardRenewal •AdjustmentofStatusWorkers' Rights Legal Services •WageandHourClaims,MinimumWage,Overtime, and Unpaid Wages •UnemploymentInsurance •Worker'sCompensationHomelessness Prevention Services •TenantHousingCounseling •ForeclosurePreventionCounseling

Financial Benefit ServicesTax and Financial Services •Low-IncomeTaxpayerClinic •FinancialLiteracyEducationandServicesPublic Benefits •FoodStamps •HomeEnergyAssistanceProgram(HEAP) •Safelink/Lifeline

Services Offered to the Community

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The MinKwon Center's Civic Participation Program, established in 1990, plays a critical role in building a strong base of empowered Korean American and immigrant community members in New York City by mobilizing the community towards active and engaged civic participation.

In a city rich with recent immigrants, the MinKwon Center engages this flourishing and diverse population by making weekly visits to the Court House to register new citizens upon completion of their naturalization ceremonies. We also register new voters through street outreach, community events, and one-on-one meetings. Since 2004, we have registered nearly 41,000 new voters. In 2009 alone, we registered over 13,000 new voters, making the MinKwon Center the leading Asian American voter empowerment organization in New York City.

As we move from registering voters city-wide to educating the community on local electoral issues, we hone in on our home base – Flushing, Queens, with a flourishing immigrant majority population. Limited English proficient immigrant communities often face language barriers when understanding the American electoral process, their voting rights, or the issues involved in an election. We close this information gap by creating numerous voter resources such as bilingual mailings, Q & A voter hotlines, and “know-your-rights” materials – targeted particularity towards the Korean American community – to engage them in the civic process. In the weeks preceding an election, the MinKwon Center also runs a Voter Hotline (the major Korean-language hotline in the city) to field inquiries and assist voters with important election information, such as helping voters check their registration status and local poll sites.

We organize what has now become an annual candidate forum to introduce prospective candidates to their constituents. In 2009, the MinKwon Center held a candidate forum with District 20 City Council candidates focusing on Asian American issues. Held at the Flushing Library, this candidate forum drew over 300 community members, the largest such candidate forum in the race. This candidate forum followed on our successful 2008 candidate forum for the District 22 State Assembly race in Flushing that drew more than 350 community members. In the future, we envision holding regular candidate forums for important local races as a key method of educating our community base on crucial electoral issues.

CiViC pARtiCipAtion

The Asian American community faces many obstacles to full, active civic participation: more than three-quarters are foreign born and nearly 60% of Korean-speaking residents are limited English proficient. The U.S. political system is often difficult to navigate for these newcomers. These difficulties are compounded by the frequent unavailability of election information in other languages and the harassment and discrimination that many immigrants face at the poll sites – being physically pulled out of the voting booths, asked to prove citizenship, and prevented

from entering the booth with an interpreter. All of these factors discourage immigrant civic participation.

Our civic participation initiatives seek to combat this by engaging a diverse base of new citizens through intensive voter registration efforts; yet we take these further by educating our community on pressing community issues, creating valuable voter resources, and engaging in them in large-scale mobilization efforts to ensure they go to the polls.

Tools for Empowerment: Registering New Voters of Diverse Ethnicities

Educating Flushing Residents on Key Community Issues

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Our Civic Participation Program supplements these voter registration and education initiatives with an intensive mobilization effort for Asian American communities to exercise their power to effect positive change. In 2008, the MinKwon Center launched the first-ever nonpartisan voter canvassing effort in Flushing by knocking on nearly 800 voters’ doors and making 5,000 Get Out The Vote (GOTV) calls, followed by 7,000 GOTV phone calls in 2009.

The MinKwon Center is also the first organization to create a voter database of over 28,000 Korean American voters throughout New York City and to conduct a thorough examination of Korean American voting patterns. Using the results of our exit polls, we analyze Korean American and immigrant voting patterns to better understand the pulse of New York City’s diverse communities, and further engage immigrant voters in the civic process. In order to ensure that these under-represented communities have a political voice and hold their elected officials accountable, the MinKwon Center created the first-ever “Voice Your Vote NY” coalition of Asian American groups to coordinate efforts to empower Asian American communities in 2008.

The MinKwon Center also actively participates in annual exit polls and voter protection efforts to track and ensure the protection of voters’ rights in partnership with the Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund. It is critical for organizations, such as the MinKwon Center, to play an active role in monitoring poll sites and ensure that immigrant voters are able to exercise their rights in full accordance with the law.

We believe that civic participation is deeply linked to a long-term social justice vision rooted in grassroots community work and collaborative action. While low-income and immigrant communities are frequently disenfranchised, we envision a City where voters will be empowered and informed about the importance of fully exercising their right to vote.

MobilizingandProtectingtheImmigrantVoterBase

2004(up to March)

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

NEW IMMIGRANT VOTERS REGISTERED BY MINKWON SINCE 2004

42,53740,237

26,995

13,7078,245

3,1572,203

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youtH eMpoweRMent

The MinKwon Center views young people as potential leaders, both now and in the future. Our Youth Empowerment Program provides the opportunity for local Asian American high school youth to become assets in the community by educating them on critical issues and providing them opportunities for action in advocacy on behalf of the community. Through our work, we hope to raise a generation of socially conscious individuals that understand the importance of community engagement and civic involvement.

Our signature youth program, the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP), is a seasonal program that equips local Asian American high school youth with the foundation to become community activists and leaders.

A typical program session starts off with a rigorous curriculum of educational sessions, workshops, and activities held during a week-long retreat, designed to nurture participants’ ability to think critically about social issues, such as race,

class, ethnicity, and gender. Participants also learn practical community skills and hands-on tactics that they can utilize to organize the community. We follow up the retreat with a series of workshops and educational study sessions to continuously expand their knowledge base on community issues.

In 2009, 80 youth participated in the YEP with hundreds of more youth engaged on a variety of social issues through the YEP’s

Developing Socially Conscious Youth through the Youth EmpowermentProject

“Working on a campaign to address an issue not only strengthened my relationship with the community but also helped me become more goal-oriented. A lot of the things I do at the MinKwon Center – from building work plans, holding meetings and organizing my peers – gave me skills that I can utilize in school and when I have a career.” -Jenny Fu

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We believe that young leaders are not born overnight; leadership is cultivated through education complemented by action. Youth members - all graduates of the Youth Empowerment Project - are tasked to organize other youth around various issues affecting themselves and their communities.

Immigrant Youth and Access to Higher-Education: Movement-Building for the DREAM Act

In the Korean American community, over three-quarters of the population are foreign-born and one out of every five people is undocumented. Underage youth make up a major portion of this specific population, who - by no fault of their own - lack proper immigration status and as a result, they face barriers going to college.

In 2009, youth members engaged in a major grassroots organizing campaign for the issue of the DREAM Act, a bill in Congress that would remove barriers for immigrant youth attempting to access higher education. The campaign consisted of street outreach efforts, gathering over 650 pledges of support and culminated in the first-ever “Dare 2 DREAM” conference, where over 150 young people took part in youth-organized workshops, and panel discussions. 30 youth members also joined over 300 youth from across the country for a national DREAM Act advocacy day in Washington D.C.

Organizing for Educational Justice: Campaign to Reform Student Engagement in Public Schools

Contrary to popular conception, many Asian American youth face abysmal school conditions, overcrowded classes and insufficient resources. These structural barriers in education prevent many of these youth from reaching their academic, civic, and personal potentials. These problems are often perpetuated by the lack of student engagement, resulting in very little to no participation from students in the decision-making process of their own educational system.

In 2009, the MinKwon Center youth members sought to address these issues by raising awareness of the critical need for student involvement in schools. This campaign resulted in the production of a short-film documentary highlighting issues behind the lack of student participation in the decision-making process. Over 50 youth viewed this film through multiple film screenings.

Building Youth Power in Flushing: Increasing Awareness of Opportunities for Youth in Flushing The MinKwon Center’s home neighborhood of Flushing, Queens, where many of our youth members live, is plagued with difficult conditions. According to the 2006 American Community Survey, one out of every five Flushing Asian American residents live in poverty, one-third live in overcrowded households, and over half of all Flushing families have a family member who is limited English proficient.

In 2009, MinKwon Center youth members organized the first-ever action research on youth in Flushing. Through this research, youth members collected over 600 needs assessment surveys of youth living in Flushing. The research led to a finding of serious gaps between the knowledge of young people on available resources and opportunities. Youth members took action and developed a pamphlet guide, mapping programs, services, resources and opportunities in the community to bridge the gap.

CreatingYouthLeadersThroughActionandYouthOrganizing

“The MinKwon Center taught me what it truly means to be part of a community. As young people, we are often disillusioned that due to our age, we do not have much influence or power. Being part of the MinKwon Center – and taking part in activities that advocate issues that affect my peers and I - gave me a sense of empowerment. By organizing my peers, I can make a difference – for myself and the community.” -Jun Jeong

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CultuRe

Since 1985, the MinKwon Center has revitalized Korean cultural traditions in New York City through the formation of Binari - our Korean American cultural troupe. Originally formed to combat the cultural isolation and loss of cultural roots in the Korean American community, Binari has played an active role in reviving interest and awareness of Korean “grassroots” cultural traditions. Binari is best known for its performance in Poongmul, a traditional folk grassroots ensemble of Korean drums and percussion featuring audience participation, dancing, and singing. Binari continues to share its music with the community through weekly poongmul workshops, as well as regular performances at cultural events, marches, and rallies that promote immigrant rights and other relevant MinKwon Center issues.

Historically, poongmul carries a tradition of activism and cultural pride for Koreans and oversea Koreans alike. Through this cultural activism, Binari provides a sense of heritage for 1st and 2nd Generation Korean Americans and Korean adoptees – as well as a source of community pride for Asian Americans.

The MinKwon Center’s Binari cultural troupe develops skills in playing poongmul through weekly workshops and practice sessions. Together, Binari members play and perform for immigrant rights rallies, marches, and other events to help create a positive energy at these events, unify the crowd, and carry a message of social justice and hope for the wider-community.

HonoringourRoots,EmbracingaVisionofSocialJustice

Binari’s activities culminate in an annual Lunar New Year festival called “Jishin Balpgi”(지신밟기), or “Stepping on the Spirits of the Earth.” Through the Jishin Balpgi celebration, Binari seeks to revitalize the Korean folk tradition of a community poongmul troupe that travels around the village to visit village residents, drive out negative energy, and bless them with good fortune, hope, peace, and prosperity in the New Year. Binari celebrates and updates this tradition by visiting Korean store owners in Flushing and Manhattan’s Koreatown, playing Poongmul for small business owners and their store customers to wish them good fortune and peace for the New Year. Every year, this event energizes and invigorates the Korean American community, while also serving a unifying purpose by drawing in a diverse, multi-ethnic audience to celebrate, dance, and share in the musical festivities together.

Although Poongmul is rooted in Korean culture, Binari seeks a broader vision of engaging audiences of diverse, ethnic backgrounds to promote cultural diversity and harmony in this multi-cultural society.

Celebrating Lunar New Year, Unifying the Community

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StaffLinda Arbai, Chinese Community Outreach CoordinatorJu-Bum Cha, Education & Communication DirectorJiHyunKathyChae,Esq., Social Service Program DirectorGraceHyejuCho,Esq., Staff AttorneyJin Kon Choi, Housing ConsultantStevenChoi,Esq., Executive DirectorJanice Chua, Chinese Community Outreach Coordinator*Chris Chung, Civic Participation Coordinator*Erin Chung, Program Associate*SungHoonDong,Housing OrganizerJamesJ.Hong, Civic Participation Outreach CoordinatorKevin Kang, Youth OrganizerHongGunKim, May 18th Foundation FellowYoon Ji Kim, Program AssociateZenaJ.Kim,Esq., Foreclosure Legal CounselorYoung Sook Na, Administrative ManagerJenna Ness, Development AssociateLizChongEunRhee, Worker OrganizerDon Shin, Development Associate*Jae Sup Song, Community Organizer

* Former staff, served in 2009

BoARD & StAff

Board of DirectorsSukonKim,M.D., Honorary Board ChairS.J.Jung, PresidentJenniferH.Kim,Esq., Vice PresidentYu Soung Mun, Secretary-TreasurerJim BaekMee Eun ChangChung-WhaHongWon-GiIm,M.D.ByungHoKangHeeSookKim,CPAJongHunKimSoo Bok KimSungok LeeSung Yeon ParkYangsun ParkYong Chun Rim

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