Creating a digital platform for the general public to learn about the history and culture of Korean Americans is important in today’s society because America is a country that has a rich history waiting to be uncovered and shared with the rest of the world. As an American, I am proud of my country and its heritage because I enjoyed learning about it throughout K-12 and college. However, as a Korean American, I do not know much about Korean Americans in American history. If someone asked me about the first wave of Korean immigrant migration to the U.S. while I was in high school many years ago, I would have to search for it elsewhere because it was not mentioned in the textbook during that time. If someone asked me if I knew about significant Korean Americans who played a role in U.S. government, politics, and economy while I was in college, then I would have to Google it. The limited information that was offered to me as a student in public school and college fueled my curiosity to find out more.
It was during my early years of teaching when I came to the realization that I had to learn more about a topic that I was not responsible for teaching in order to help my students connect selected literary works to history. I was teaching Asian American Literature, and I knew history, just like in any literature course, was an important element. Also, culture was an inevitable companion element to learning about history. However, I had very limited knowledge of Asian American history. I grew up in the South. I know it is not an excuse, but I think it is important because it is one of the reasons why I began the process of learning more about Asian American history. This information was not found in my old college textbooks as well as current U.S. History textbooks. I found the information by researching books and journal articles referencing Asian American history. However, I was still not satisfied because my students were accustomed to searching for information online that captures their immediate attention. To deter them from using Wikipedia as their single source for historical information, I realized that I had to direct them to credible and engaging sites. Still, I was not convinced that they were enough. I wanted that OMG or wow factor to be there when the students discover new information. I wanted them to examine and analyze information while learning to make their own arguments about it.
As a Digital Humanities scholar, I started the process of designing a website that explores Korean American history and culture in Texas. Also, I designed a website that linked reputable websites about Japanese American history during World War II to the novels that my students were reading for the course. I plan to design another website that links reputable websites about Vietnam War, Vietnamese diaspora, and Operation Babylift to an assigned novel written by a Vietnamese American author. In the meantime, I am learning about my own Korean American heritage by researching and documenting Korean American history and culture from Texas to the DMV area.
While I was working on my Korean American history and culture project for Texas, I discovered exciting information about Korean Americans in the South by interviewing people and visiting Koreatowns and cities that are heavily influenced by hardworking Korean Americans. While I was working on my internship for the Smithsonian Institution, I became curious of the history of Korean Americans in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. We rarely hear about Asian Americans in American history in schools, and we become more aware about it when we are in college (depending on the courses). Instead of waiting for someone or an organization to make a website to share the information about Korean American history and culture in the U.S., I decided that it was time to make a digital humanities website that celebrates and acknowledges it. Such historical information should not go unnoticed, especially when we live in a digital world that allows access to information globally. While it is waiting to be recognized and acknowledged as part of American history, Korean American history should be uncovered and shared with the public on an accessible digital platform.
