In good time

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By Yonah Kim Martin

"I immigrated to Canada 34 years ago when being different was not positive. To be honest, I was embarrassed at times to be Korean, to be different. Fortunately for my children, we now live in a time where differences are celebrated, encouraged and embraced."
Susan (Kwon) Hanson's words reflect my childhood. In fact, we once lived in the same East Vancouver neighbourhood. Now, we are both B.C. certified teachers, and mothers with children who are fiercely proud of their Korean heritage. Through them, we are validated and empowered to be equally proud.
Times have changed.
The Greater Vancouver Korean community has grown exponentially since my family first immigrated in the early '70s. I heard recently that there are an estimated 80,000 Koreans (including approximately 20,000 international students and families) in Vancouver's Lower Mainland region. In the 1970s, a Korean student was often the only Korean in the entire school. Now there is at least one or more Korean students in every classroom.   
Yes, times have changed.
I have been thoroughly impressed by the admirable qualities of local student volunteers - their sense of commitment to the community, their clarity of identity, their fluency in English and Korean, their resourcefulness and talent. I could go on and on. The annual Korean Heritage Day festivals, the musical production of RUSH, the career conference, Camp Korea and many other projects that have been completed could not have happened without our remarkable volunteers.
Just a few nights ago, I had dinner with a visitor from Toronto and several C3 members. Kathy Kim - a 24-year-old, second-generation Korean Canadian - is part of the Student Development Committee of the Korean Canadian Scholarship Foundation (KCSF).
Kathy works closely with Simon Park, a key community leader of 1.5/2nd generation Korean Canadians in the Toronto area. (Simon was a keynote speaker for the 1st Annual Korean Canadian Career Conference in May in Coquitlam.) He e-mailed me about her visit and her wish to meet members of C3 during her time here.
I found that Kathy also possesses the wonderful qualities of our local volunteers. She, too, is bilingual and shares a deep commitment to the Korean community. We discussed the lack of Korean content in the Canadian curriculum, the need for more engaging cultural events specifically for the 2nd-generation Korean-Canadians, and the dream of a national, Korean-Canadian leadership conference that we hope to realize in the next few years.
At age 24, I remember denying my Korean-ness. I was a "banana" trying to become less Korean. And I definitely had very little affinity toward the Korean community, let alone the desire to become more actively involved in it. I lived with my Korean family, went to church on Sundays, ate Korean food, but that's where my Korean connection ended.
It's amazing how times have changed.
With Kathy and the others, the conversation around the table was lively, but there was a clear focus: a shared vision of a vibrant, Korean-Canadian community now and far into the future - for our grandparents, our parents, our children and their children. We talked about building leadership and sharing resources, building cultural landmarks and building strong bridges.
It's time.
It's time in our immigrant history for us to build a strong, national, Korean-Canadian community. And together, we can and will do exactly that - one project, one milestone at a time.
We need you. Get involved. Visit www.c3society.com and become a member today.
Without you ... without me ... there is no community.  

Yonah Martin is chair of C3 Society.

To submit a column to C3, contact Angela MacKenzie at aymackenzie@gmail.com.

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