Nodutdol . e*News
January 2009
A Personal Reflection on Nodutdol’s 10 years
By Eunhy Kim
Nodutdol is ten years old?!?! Does that mean we have all grown ten years older? Time is such a strange concept to grasp. So many events have taken place in my life in the past decade, and it’s not surprising that they are very intertwined with those of Nodutdol… It’s interesting how some memories stand out as if they happened yesterday while others are meshed in a timeline of their own.
Having initial meetings at bars and in each others’ living rooms do seem like a long time ago – to name the new organization “Nodutdol” was first conceived at a pub uptown - but wasn’t it just yesterday that we started the Korean and English language classes, along with the health fairs and the prep meetings to start a charter school? At that times, it seemed like tremendous changes were being made on the Korean peninsula, especially with the 6.15 North-South summit, and there was fire and energy in the air here for changes and “bridge-building” in our community. Gee, was 2001 the year of our first trip to the DPRK, first youth program, first office, and first time our membership more than doubled – including our first Nodutdol baby Hankyul? We were becoming multi-generational, bi-cultural, and making efforts to have our meetings and events bilingual. When was our amazing involvement in the anti-WTO talks in Hong Kong and how many rounds of US-Korea FTA talks were there where we created Korean-style havoc in various cities across this country?
When I was asked to write a reflection piece of our last 10 years, I thought I should go back to my old notes and recreate a Nodutdol timeline. But that proved to be so time-consuming as I got stuck reading some old emails (from 1999!) and couldn’t move on. It was like reading an old diary and struck by how so much has changed… and NOT changed – like certain unnamed people writing lengthy emails — haha! Anyway, I’ll rely on selective memory instead and see where this takes me.
The year of 1999 turned out to be a big year for me. I was turning 30, I was tying the knot the day before my birthday out in the California desert, I was getting settled in my teaching career (no more running to the bathroom in tears because of classroom management), and I was with a group of dongjees who wanted to make life commitments to social justice work. We wanted to create a space for Koreans in the US to bridge local organizing in the NY KA community with what was happening on the Korean peninsula. We wanted to be the progressive voice of the KA community. We wanted to build institutions so that our work could continue beyond current hot issues and campaigns. Thus, the plans for a community health clinic and progressive school were set, alongside solidarity and relationship building with through education and exposure programs to the southern and northern parts of our homeland.
One tenth of a century later (does that sound better than 10 years?), the clinic and school projects have been put on hold, but I can reflect on countless highlights and lessons learned that have enriched my life and allowed me to be where I am now – in a small farming community a few hours from the city. Yes, all those discussions on food sovereignty and protesting with farmers have inspired me to work with/on/for the land! Nodutdol has been the vessel to challenge/discuss/work out two essential questions for me: What does it mean to be a Korean living in the US? What is my/our role to further revolutionary change?
We’ve come a long way, and along the way many awesome dongmu-deul have come and moved on, or stuck around all these years to continually mold this organization, through our infamous LONG meetings and retreats as well as outings and dwee-pu-lees with seemingly endless discussions, food and drinks. Even though there has been a constant critique of ourselves as being “socially awkward” and in need of “social skills” workshops, we sure as hell knew how to move a crowd – and ourselves - through our culture of movement songs, chants, and protests. Come on, who hasn’t felt that tingle when we gather with the guitar to sing “Morning Dew/ Ah-chim Ee-seul” or belt out “A Marching Song for the Beloved/ Im-eul-we-han Heng-jin-gok”? There’s such power when you know there are dongjees walking with you and believe you can change all the wrongs in this world! How about finding that hidden energy to shout out chants and songs in all kinds of weather, for several hours at a time, and sometimes just repeating unknown Korean words (all you non-Korean-fluent folks know what I mean) because it’s said so fast but still important to mouth out anyway? Imagine chanting and marching alongside 1,000-plus determined Korean farmers in the streets of Hong Kong protesting how WTO kills farmers around the world. Really, nothing can stop the will and hearts of people when they are united. I can never forget the impression left on me from then.
Sure, there have been low points and growing pains in the growth of our organization, but there was always something magical and powerful about what a bunch of radical Koreans can do. We have active members, members-at-large, supporters, allies, friends and family who have continuously added to this dynamic energy over the years. And having our youngest members, our Nodutdol children, participate in all our events have been my greatest joy. Who else can provide them with long meetings, rallies, and candlelight vigils galore?
I can continue with highlights such as our KEEP and DEEP programs, our language classes, youth project, numerous solidarity work with activists in Korea and across North America, etc. but I’ll stop here. I am very excited with the current membership and new leadership, and look forward to another decade of fire and commitment to social change. Who knows, maybe we can set up a farm exposure program to where I am in a few years?
Nodutdol is ten years old?!?! Does that mean we have all grown ten years older? Time is such a strange concept to grasp. So many events have taken place in my life in the past decade, and it’s not surprising that they are very intertwined with those of Nodutdol… It’s interesting how some memories stand out as if they happened yesterday while others are meshed in a timeline of their own.
Having initial meetings at bars and in each others’ living rooms do seem like a long time ago – to name the new organization “Nodutdol” was first conceived at a pub uptown - but wasn’t it just yesterday that we started the Korean and English language classes, along with the health fairs and the prep meetings to start a charter school? At that times, it seemed like tremendous changes were being made on the Korean peninsula, especially with the 6.15 North-South summit, and there was fire and energy in the air here for changes and “bridge-building” in our community. Gee, was 2001 the year of our first trip to the DPRK, first youth program, first office, and first time our membership more than doubled – including our first Nodutdol baby Hankyul? We were becoming multi-generational, bi-cultural, and making efforts to have our meetings and events bilingual. When was our amazing involvement in the anti-WTO talks in Hong Kong and how many rounds of US-Korea FTA talks were there where we created Korean-style havoc in various cities across this country?
When I was asked to write a reflection piece of our last 10 years, I thought I should go back to my old notes and recreate a Nodutdol timeline. But that proved to be so time-consuming as I got stuck reading some old emails (from 1999!) and couldn’t move on. It was like reading an old diary and struck by how so much has changed… and NOT changed – like certain unnamed people writing lengthy emails — haha! Anyway, I’ll rely on selective memory instead and see where this takes me.
The year of 1999 turned out to be a big year for me. I was turning 30, I was tying the knot the day before my birthday out in the California desert, I was getting settled in my teaching career (no more running to the bathroom in tears because of classroom management), and I was with a group of dongjees who wanted to make life commitments to social justice work. We wanted to create a space for Koreans in the US to bridge local organizing in the NY KA community with what was happening on the Korean peninsula. We wanted to be the progressive voice of the KA community. We wanted to build institutions so that our work could continue beyond current hot issues and campaigns. Thus, the plans for a community health clinic and progressive school were set, alongside solidarity and relationship building with through education and exposure programs to the southern and northern parts of our homeland.
One tenth of a century later (does that sound better than 10 years?), the clinic and school projects have been put on hold, but I can reflect on countless highlights and lessons learned that have enriched my life and allowed me to be where I am now – in a small farming community a few hours from the city. Yes, all those discussions on food sovereignty and protesting with farmers have inspired me to work with/on/for the land! Nodutdol has been the vessel to challenge/discuss/work out two essential questions for me: What does it mean to be a Korean living in the US? What is my/our role to further revolutionary change?
We’ve come a long way, and along the way many awesome dongmu-deul have come and moved on, or stuck around all these years to continually mold this organization, through our infamous LONG meetings and retreats as well as outings and dwee-pu-lees with seemingly endless discussions, food and drinks. Even though there has been a constant critique of ourselves as being “socially awkward” and in need of “social skills” workshops, we sure as hell knew how to move a crowd – and ourselves - through our culture of movement songs, chants, and protests. Come on, who hasn’t felt that tingle when we gather with the guitar to sing “Morning Dew/ Ah-chim Ee-seul” or belt out “A Marching Song for the Beloved/ Im-eul-we-han Heng-jin-gok”? There’s such power when you know there are dongjees walking with you and believe you can change all the wrongs in this world! How about finding that hidden energy to shout out chants and songs in all kinds of weather, for several hours at a time, and sometimes just repeating unknown Korean words (all you non-Korean-fluent folks know what I mean) because it’s said so fast but still important to mouth out anyway? Imagine chanting and marching alongside 1,000-plus determined Korean farmers in the streets of Hong Kong protesting how WTO kills farmers around the world. Really, nothing can stop the will and hearts of people when they are united. I can never forget the impression left on me from then.
Sure, there have been low points and growing pains in the growth of our organization, but there was always something magical and powerful about what a bunch of radical Koreans can do. We have active members, members-at-large, supporters, allies, friends and family who have continuously added to this dynamic energy over the years. And having our youngest members, our Nodutdol children, participate in all our events have been my greatest joy. Who else can provide them with long meetings, rallies, and candlelight vigils galore?
I can continue with highlights such as our KEEP and DEEP programs, our language classes, youth project, numerous solidarity work with activists in Korea and across North America, etc. but I’ll stop here. I am very excited with the current membership and new leadership, and look forward to another decade of fire and commitment to social change. Who knows, maybe we can set up a farm exposure program to where I am in a few years?
This article originally appeared in the January 2009 issue of Nodutdol eNews.
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About Nodutdol eNews
Nodutdol eNews is the monthly e-mail newsletter of Nodutdol.Through grassroots organization and community development, Nodutdol seeks to bridge divisions created by war, nation, gender, sexual orientation, language, classes and generation among Koreans and to empower our community to address the injustice we and other people of color face here and abroad. Nodutdol works in collaboration with other progressive organizations locally, nationally and internationally as part of a larger movement for peace and social change.
In this issue
A Journey Home: Visiting North Korea
Korean Workers Unite! Interview with Elizabeth Koo at AALDEF
A Personal Reflection on Nodutdol’s 10 years
Real change? That depends… on You
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