Queens Memory: Our Major Minor Voices

Episode 2: Halmoni's Kimchee

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Description

The 1970s, 80s, and 90s saw a wave of Korean immigrants coming to the US, many finding their way to Queens. The Korean American population in the US skyrocketed, reaching 1.2 million people by the year 2000. Flushing, Queens was a little Koreatown back then – where Korean families lived and worked.


In this episode, we explore the theme of memory through the story of two sisters – Soojin and Eugina, who rode this wave of immigration from Korea to Queens in the 80s. They landed in their halmoni’s – that is, their grandmother’s – kitchen.


If you’re listening with others and want to discuss, here are some guiding questions: 

  1. What do you remember about your first day in Queens? What are your earliest memories of Queens?
  2. What’s it like to live in Queens?
  3. What kind of life do you expect your children to have in the future?
  4. Do you have any childhood memories around race?  How did those experiences shape how you think about race and identity today?
  5. Parents and caregivers, how do you talk about race with the children in your life? How do you help them to challenge stereotypes?
  6. Do you know what your family's earliest days in the US were like?


Resources mentioned in the episode can be found below:

This episode was produced by Heidi Shin in conjunction with Melody Cao, Anna Williams, and Natalie Milbrodt. It was hosted by J. Faye Yuan.


Mixing and editing by Cory Choy with music composed by Elias Ravin. 


Special thanks to HJ Lee at Korean American Story, Jo Ann Yoo at the Asian American Federation, Dr. Pyongap Min, Dr. Jey Kim and Soojin and Eugina for sharing their family's story.


Voiceover work by Soyun Jeong, Eunbin Go, and Hyunae Lee.  


This podcast has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this episode are those of its creators and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of National Endowment for the Humanities, Queens Public Library, the City University of New York, or their employees.