LANSDALE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — When entering the offices of Woori Center in the heart of Lansdale, Montgomery County, one of the first things a visitor will encounter is a long white bookshelf with three Korean drums sitting on top.
Part of the space serves as a community library for Korean Americans in the area, but it is just a sliver of what the center has to offer.
“Woori in Korean means ‘we’ and ‘us,’ and this name reflects unity in our collective work to uplift the entire community,” said Mel Lee, Woori Center’s executive director.
“Our mission [is] to serve and organize Korean and Asian Americans in greater Philadelphia and beyond toward social, racial and economic justice.”
The nonprofit was established five years ago. One main focus is immigrant rights. Another is civic engagement — getting Korean and other Asian Americans to participate in this democracy.
Lee says she hears the same story from people year after year. “It’s always like this: ‘I’ve been in this country for the past 50 years, but this is my first year that I’m voting.’”
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Lee has mixed emotions when she hears that. Yes, it’s great they’re finally voting — but it’s also upsetting that these American citizens have language barriers and a lack of information, which the center tries to address.
“When we talk about voter registration, oftentimes people ask, ‘What is that?’ because nobody explained that they need to register to vote in this country,” she said.
There is no voter registration in South Korea.
Woori Center also looks to build the leaders of tomorrow. It offers a space for high school and college students.
“These students say, time and time again, that they join this program because they have no other outlets to be able to talk about and process their Asian American identities and all the things that come with it,” said program manager Kate Firestone.
The organization also has community service and arts and culture events throughout the year.
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Throughout Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, KYW Newsradio is celebrating the contributions of these diverse and essential communities with an audio series called “Asian Americans Making Their Mark.”
Asian Americans are a diverse group comprising more than 30 ethnicities and nationalities and are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States. This series, led by KYW’s Denise Nakano and Tim Jimenez, recognizes their history, culture and achievements in the Philadelphia region at a time when AAPI communities are seeing a rise in anti-Asian speech and activity across the country.
Join KYW throughout the month of May as we celebrate the journeys, cultures and unique life experiences of people from Philadelphia’s AAPI communities.