Black-Korean Alliance Raises Funds for L.A.

Student representatives of the Black-Korean Alliance raised more than $1600 in donations this week for the riot-stricken communities of Los Angeles.

The Alliance, a Los Angeles community organization, began gathering contributions Monday from students in the dining halls, according to Do Hyung Kim '93, the Alliance member who started the fundraising effort.

Kim, a Los Angeles resident, said the money will go to the Los Angeles Riot Emergency Fund, a national drive to assist residents of the South Central and Koreatown areas of Los Angeles that were hit hard by riots two weeks ago following the Rodney King verdict.

Kim said he was surprised by the project's success and encouraged by the level of cooperation it showed between Black and Korean students on campus.

"It's not necessarily the money," Kim said."It's the efforts of both communities workingtogether."

Kim, who is also a member of the executiveboard of the East Coast Again Student Union, isconcerned with what the call the "inaccurateportrayal of Black-Korean relations by thenational media."

Both newspaper and television focus on negativenews while disregarding positive aspects of therelationship between Los Angeles' Black and Koreancommunities, Kim said.

Kim pointed to a segment on ABC'sNightline last week, when he says a shortclip of an emotional 100,000 person Koran rallymisrepresented Korean-Black relations in LosAngeles.

"They didn't say what [the rally] was about soeveryone would think [the Koreans] were having arally against Black," said Kim. "But it was apeace rally with Korean and Black speakers."

"The media is creating more problems," Kimsaid. "There are a lot of efforts in L.A. andthose things need to be emphasized."

Kim, who identified himself as aKorean-American is an Afro-American studies andsociology concentrator. He has resided in both theSouth Central and Koreatown areas of Los Angeles.

"I feel like both [the Korean and Black areasof Los Angeles] are my communities," he said. "Iknow people and have friends in both. I want to domy part, to do what I can.

"It's not necessarily the money," Kim said."It's the efforts of both communities workingtogether."

Kim, who is also a member of the executiveboard of the East Coast Again Student Union, isconcerned with what the call the "inaccurateportrayal of Black-Korean relations by thenational media."

Both newspaper and television focus on negativenews while disregarding positive aspects of therelationship between Los Angeles' Black and Koreancommunities, Kim said.

Kim pointed to a segment on ABC'sNightline last week, when he says a shortclip of an emotional 100,000 person Koran rallymisrepresented Korean-Black relations in LosAngeles.

"They didn't say what [the rally] was about soeveryone would think [the Koreans] were having arally against Black," said Kim. "But it was apeace rally with Korean and Black speakers."

"The media is creating more problems," Kimsaid. "There are a lot of efforts in L.A. andthose things need to be emphasized."

Kim, who identified himself as aKorean-American is an Afro-American studies andsociology concentrator. He has resided in both theSouth Central and Koreatown areas of Los Angeles.

"I feel like both [the Korean and Black areasof Los Angeles] are my communities," he said. "Iknow people and have friends in both. I want to domy part, to do what I can.