LINKS TO OTHER SITES

ETHNIC IMMIGRATION FILMS

  • Finding Sandalwood Mountain
    sandalwoodfilm.com

  • Great Grandfathers Drum
    greatgrandfathersdrum.com

  • "Arirang"
    caamedia.org

  • The Story of Dream: Picture Brides
    Directed by JiHwan Song (J-WONDER) and JeongTae Lee

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    Between 1903 and 1905, approximately 7,400 Korean immigrants, most of them male, arrived in Hawaii, wishing to start new lives in Hawaii.  They decided to find Korean women who would be willing come to Hawaii to marry them. After exchanging photos, these brave women left their home to come to Hawaii, holding only a photo of their future husband in their hands. They are called ‘picture brides.’ Far away from their home and families, picture brides started new life, gave birth to their children and educated them while living a harsh life as first-generation immigrants. This film tells the stories of the picture brides and their lives since they first stepped on the Hawaiian soil about 120 years ago.

  • Unfinished Story
    Directed by JeongTae Lee (KBFD) and Byung Choon You (Contents Bada)

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    Since the first group of 102 Korean immigrants arrived in Hawaii in 1903, Koreans have been rooted here as important members of the American community. Korean immigrants also had a special mission. In Hawaii, a place 7,000 kilometers away from their home, Korean Americans devoted themselves to support independence of their homeland from Japan. This film records the two years of work process to search and identify these stories and the names of those unsung heroes who sacrificed for the independence of their homeland, whose efforts otherwise would have been lost forever.

 

117th Korean Immigration Anniversary Dinner
January 13, 2020

President’s Remarks

Aloha Kakoū and Anyonghasimnikka?

It is a pleasure to welcome you to our anniversary dinner celebrating the 117th year since the first Korean immigrants arrived in Hawaii.

We take this time every year to think about the earliest immigrants and their legacies. To pick up and leave your homeland and venture into the unknow is not an easy task. We honor these pioneers for their perseverance and endurance.  Today also gives us time to think about Koreans who came later as well, the 1.5s, issei and later generations, and their contributions to both our communities in Hawaii and the United States. Although the population of Koreans in Hawaii is not large, Koreans and Korean Americans have made countless contributions to Hawaii whether it be in academics, medicine, law, art, cuisine, or one of many other areas. Without a Korean presence in Hawaii, we would be a far less vibrant community.

This is the story that the Korean American Foundation, Hawaii tries to tell throughout the year. We fund projects that tell the Korean story in Hawaii and let the world know that Koreans are more than just people who prepare kimchee, delicious though it may be.

So as we celebrate this day, we give thanks to those who went before us, and let us build on their foundation toward still a better future for those who will come after.

Kamsahapnida.

Edward J. Shultz
president

 

From every corner of the world, immigrants have come to America to discover the promise of our Nation. On January 13, 1903, the first Korean immigrants to the United States arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the SS Gaelic. Today, Korean Americans live throughout the United States, representing one of our largest Asian-American populations. As we commemorate the centennial anniversary of Korean immigration to the United States, we recognize the invaluable contributions of Korean Americans to our Nation's rich cultural diversity, economic strength, and proud heritage.

— GEORGE W. BUSH