Legacy Project

In this first installment of Legacy Project #MeToo, Monica Kim reflects on the night of her sexual assault and the process of trying to move forward from it. She speaks about how she grappled with the idea of therapy as she worked through feelings of shame and disgust. She hopes that other Korean American women hear her story and know that they are not alone in navigating personal struggles and the healing process.

KoreanAmericanStory.org is honored to be launching Legacy Project: #MeToo, featuring the powerful stories of Korean American survivors of sexual assault. This project seeks to empower and validate the experiences of Korean American survivors, and spark much-needed dialogue about sexual violence and harassment, as well as complex cultural stigmas that make breaking silence so difficult

Julia Park grew up in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to the US at age 13 where her father ran a grocery store. Julia spent much of her childhood in America working at the store and even recalls her father treating school as her reward for working. Today, at age 57, Julia Park works in social service and as the executive director and trip director of Sejong Camp. In this special series, Julia examines the impact of her childhood, becoming a mother, and her passion to give back to future generations.

Grace Nicodemus was raised outside of Philadelphia, PA, and is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology. For the past 12 years, she has been drawn back to Sejong Camp because of all the relationships she has made. Her experiences as a camper continue to empower her to make a positive impact as a counselor. In this special series, Grace examines her mental health, navigating the world as an adoptee, and her growing passion to help others.

Seo Hee Kelleher grew up in Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to the United States in 1991 at the age of 15. She currently works as a Korean American shaman, using her spiritual gifts to help others heal in a way that is authentic to her cultural identity. However, during the process of studying the spiritual world, she realized that much of traditional Korean spiritual knowledge was inaccessible to non-Korean speakers. In this special series, Seo reflects on the struggles of assimilation and her passion to publish spiritual wisdom books for non-Korean speakers.

Laura-Ann Jacobs was born in Incheon, South Korea and adopted to a family outside of Atlanta, Georgia at the age of 4 months old. As an adoptee and Korean American, her identity played a significant role in being the foundation for her to pursue a career in education with a specialization in anti-racism. During her doctoral program, she began a birth search to learn more about herself and her roots. In this special series, Laura-Ann shares about her passion in creating change for racial justice and reflects on the significance of her trip to Korea to meet her birth family.

Lia Ylitalo was born in South Korea and is currently living in Minnesota. She doesn’t have any recollection of Korea, but was able to hear a few stories about her birth family. Ever since coming to Sejong Camp, she is continually drawn back with a desire to learn more about Korean culture. In this special series, Lia examines her journey to self-confidence, becoming, proud of her heritage, and navigating the world as an adoptee.

Benjamin Kim Oser was born in Mapogu, Seoul, South Korea, and adopted to Central New Jersey at three months old. In his 20s, he went back to Korea to teach English and find any medical records regarding him or his family. The search soon became a birth search when he discovered his father was looking for him. Benjamin reflects on navigating the complexities and feelings behind his birth family’s story and also the appreciation he has for his adoptive parents and the motivation to lead the next generation of Korean Americans as the director of Sejong Camp.

Hope Sacco grew up in Baltimore, Maryland to a Korean American adoptee mother and a white father. She attended a high school with very little Asian representation which drove her to search for community outreach opportunities in the Asian community.