We loved the last one we attended, before my pregnancy with Jahyu. Many of the members were truly caring, and sweet to us. They made us feel like a part of their church family almost immediately.
After that experience, we imagined it would be unlikely that a new church would measure up. Still, we decided it would be in the children's best interests to visit a Korean church because they have almost zero interaction with Korean people in their daily lives. Jahyu is starting to mimic sounds and attempting to speak. We want her first language to be Korean. Jeenu has a lot of brushing up to do in the language department. Our solution seemed obvious: haul them to a Korean congregation and let them be immersed in the Koreanism... maybe some of it would rub off. Nonetheless, Korean churches usually serve delicious Korean lunches after service.
When we got there, the first person we encountered, a young Korean male, ended up escorting us to the children's Sunday School area, along with his own child. On the way there, he kept gawking at me whenever I'd say something in Korean to him. Instead of replying in Korean, he'd answer me in English.
Finally, he asked the question I knew he really wanted satisfied. "How do you know such perfect Korean? You don't even have an accent!"
I told him I was Korean; why would I have an accent? He looked bewildered. I added that I was half Korean, my mom was full Korean. Then he looked less confused but still manage to murmur what sounded like, "Woah, I thought you were a real Korean".
Uh... excuse you?
Did he just say what I think he said?
I thought my ears had malfunctioned on me for a second. A Real Korean? What the hell is that? I was so embarrassed, not for myself but for him, that I didn't bother responding.
When we had a moment of privacy, I cornered my husband and asked him if he'd heard the comment made by the Korean guy who'd showed us to the kids' room. He didn't, so I filled him in. My husband's eyes grew like blow fish. "Really?" he gasped.
We contemplated what the guy could have meant by that. "A Real Korean". Seriously, what did that mean? His English sounded too good to be a misuse of the word REAL. We just didn't get it.
I didn't know if I should feel upset, offended, or if I should just shrug it off as nothing.
This man's comment made me realize how insensitive the Korean society can be to us mixed breeds. We are not always given the same respect full Koreans are because we are looked at like watered down versions of them. Many don't even consider us part of the ethnic group because we do not look like them.
| One of my favorite Blasian Moms: rapper/singer YOON MIRAE 50/50 Korean and Black |
This way of thinking truly hurts people like me, who consider ourselves equally Asian and American. I identify easily with both my racial backgrounds. I do not choose between them. I do not like one culture better than the other. I do not teach my kids to choose only one side, as if the two are warring with each other. I encourage them to learn as much as possible about both of the nations that represent their genetics. I am proud to be a Black Korean woman. I enjoy the best of both worlds.
Most importantly, I love and respect BOTH races. I have a special place in my heart for all Koreans and Black people that I encounter. Of course, I have friends and family of many different ethnicities. However, I connect with Koreans and Black people in a way I do not always connect with other races. It is effortless for me to blend in with my people. It is easy for me to find comfort among them. It is therapy to listen to songs rapped or crooned in Ebonics, which I believe is a true dialect of Black Americans. It is refreshing to carry out a conversation in my first language; Korean.
To have someone I am so ready to embrace and learn from regard me as less than significant because I am not a full Korean, shreds up my heart in a real personal way. And I would hate to have someone look down on my kids, whom cannot help their ethnicities. It is an unfair, narrow-minded, ignorant and bigoted world that many Koreans live in. I wish I could shout at them to wake up and join the land of the living. It's 2013 for goodness sakes!
And oh, how ashamed I was to have to explain to my Black husband why this ignorant (though educated) Korean guy didn't have enough sense to think about his choice of words before tactlessly blurting that out. In church, no less! I was doubly ashamed for Christians world wide.
 |
| FAMOUS BLASIAN FAMILY in Korea Tiger JK (Rap Star Dad: 100% Korean) Yoon Mirae (Rapper mom: 1/2 Korean & black) Jordan (Blasian Baby: 25% black, 75% Korean) |
Blasians... let's do better. Let's not feed into the frenzy of racism. Isn't it bad enough that our black people still have to struggle with so much aftermath following our so-called freedom/equality? Let's set a better example for ourselves as a nation of Blasians, as members of the half Korean mixed race, as a Black individual and as a Korean individual. We embody all these things, and it's our duty to show the FULL bloods, "real" Koreans and whoever else that believe we are watered down abominations, that we truly can and do exude class, intelligence, ability and nobility.
I pray we will get to a place soon where our own people will not feel the need to dismiss us because we aren't Korean enough or Black enough to be considered "Real"... at the end of the day, I am a real human being and that's something ALL people have in common.
I have included some photos of my favorite Korean rap artist, Tasha Reid, better known by her Korean name, Yoon Mirae. She was born to a Korean mom and a Black American father in the military. As a youngster, she was raised in Korea and was super picked on by her peers. She was told that her father's race was unacceptable and that she should play down her blackness by telling people her grandfather was black, not her dad. She was so ashamed of her tan skin she would spend hours scrubbing with soap to wash the darkness off. By the time she was 19,she'd established a love for hip hop music, instilled in her by her father who was also a dj. She was able to transcend the hate and ignorance of Korean racism through music and was elevated to the title of The Korean Princess of Hip Hop and Soul. Amazingly, the same culture that persecuted her for something she could not control, are now emulating her. Lucky for Tasha, she is beautiful, skinny and light enough (now) to pass for a "real" Korean. However, there are a growing number of mixed Koreans both in Korea and other parts of the world who are brutally tortured by their Korean peers because of their race. Especially the darker complexioned, as dark skin is associated with poorness.
Change starts with one person. There is no excuse for racism in any part of the world. Race is inherited, there is nothing anyone can do about it. It is our character and personality that should define who we are. Please educate yourself and your friends on racial tolerance and acceptance. Our innocent mixed children are damaged every minute of the day because someone wasn't taught by their parents to love everyone despite ethnic differences. Can we afford to wait another moment? How long, Korea?
Just for kicks, I uploaded a Video Blog on this very topic and situation. Please watch and comment here or on the video. Feel free to voice your opinions, even if you disagree. Click HERE to watch directly from You Tube.
JOIN AWESOME BLASIANAS LIKE ME ON TWITTER: @gypsiekoreana
Read more of my articles on Music at www.djhandle.com
No comments:
Post a Comment