Hyepim Im remembers appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show with other Korean Americans shortly after the Koreatown riots following the Rodney King verdict (photo by Kenzie).
One of them began to speak in a conciliatory gesture, but before he could even complete a sentence, he was cut off. The microphone never came back.
The 22nd anniversary of the riots was yesterday. Im told Los Angeles Magazine she is determined never to allow the Korean American community to be silenced again.
Im is president of the non-profit Korean Churches for Community Development (KCCD). She sees part of her role as increasing the clout of Korean Americans nationwide.
That’s why her group has joined a lawsuit fighting new political boundaries that have been drawn up that divides Koreatown into pieces, making it difficult for a Korean American to be elected to the city council.
You can read about Im’s effort to raise the profile of Korean Americans in Los Angeles Magazine.
