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The L.A.

Riots of 1992 were a pivotal moment for the Korean American community as a demonstra-
tion of the need for more integration into mainstream society. The rights of Korean Americans were
neglected in the then police department’s handling of the riots. The Korean American community was
paralyzed by its lack of voice in the local social and political systems.

Today, Korean American community members are a great deal more civically empowered, having
forged close relationships with local government officials, and created and maintained a strong relationship
with the neighborhood police department. There have also been numerous efforts in the last 20 years to
increase interethnic partnership among the Korean American, Latino and African American communities. The
current board of the LAPD Olympic Booster Association, on which all three communities are represented, is
one among many examples of collaboration.

This essay contest, hosted by the Korean American Coalition (KAC) and Elite Educational Institute,
offers an opportunity for a generation of young Americans to gain deeper insight on an event in contempo-
rary LA history that shaped our community. This is also a chance to learn how the Korean American commu-
nity fits into the incredibly diverse ethnic landscape of Los Angeles today.

About the KAC 4.29 Dispute Resolution Center (4.29 Center)


The KAC 4.29 Dispute Resolution Center (4.29 Center) is an alternative dispute resolution service that
was founded in 1997 in response to the ethnic upheaval that devastated parts of Los Angeles during the L.A.
Riots of 1992. The 4.29 Center strives to provide cost-effective, efficient, and culturally appropriate means of
resolving disputes. Special focus is placed on inter-ethnic, inter-cultural conflict resolution among the diverse
ethnic populations of Los Angeles County, and the 4.29 Center has successfully mediated over a thousand
cases in the past decade.

The 4.29 Center's core program is its mediation service. Trained and certified neutral Mediators as-
sists disputing parties in arriving at a mutually acceptable agreement. The 4.29 Center also encourages dis-
puting parties to communicate, negotiate, and settle disputes privately, without the burden of time-
consuming and costly legal action.

Since 1998, the 4.29 Center has been funded in part by Los Angeles County's Dispute Resolution Pro-
gram. Funding is also provided by the Wilshire Center/Koreatown Neighborhood Council.
PROMPT
Interview a Korean American who experienced the 1992 L.A. Riots first-hand. Write about how the event
made an impact on that person’s life, and how they feel the community as a whole was affected by the Riots.

Based on your interview, and individual research conducted about the Riots, share your opinion of how this
event may have impacted the Korean American community, the African American community and the Latino
community in LA. How has the Korean American community changed as a result of the Riots? Finally, discuss
what improvements, if any, should be made in cultural relations between the Korean American, African
American, and Latino communities in Los Angeles.

Please transcribe the interview, and submit it, along with the interview audio file, as attachments to your
essay. The word count on the interview will not be counted toward the essay word limit.

CONTEST RULES HOW TO ENTER


 Interview can be conducted in Korean or English. Transcript The essay and transcribed interview
can be done in Korean or English, essay must be written in must be submitted by email to
English. <esther@kacla.org> by no later than
 1250 word limit 11:59 pm on April 12, 2011.
 Formatting: Times New Roman, 12 font, and double-spaced
 A cover page with your full name, essay title, grade level, A submission confirmation email will be
school name, and the date of submission. sent no later than two (2) business days
 Any quotes or references to scholarly journals or articles following your submission.
must be accompanied by endnotes in MLA format.
 Plagiarism is not allowed, and will lead to automatic disquali- In the weeks before April 29, 2011, you
fication from the contest. will be emailed details regarding the
 Prize winners will be announced at an evening awards recep- evening awards ceremony location and
tion on April 29, 2011. If you are not in attendance and you time.
win a prize, only half of the prize amount will be awarded to
you. At the reception, the grand prize winner will read his/
her essay aloud.

INTRODUCING OUR JUDGES


 Angela E. Oh is an attorney, teacher, and public lecturer best known for her role as spokesperson for the
Korean American community after the 1992 Los Angeles Riots and her position on President Bill Clinton's
One America Initiative.
 LAFD Deputy Chief Emile Mack was a firefighter based in South LA during the LA Riots. Chief Mack is cur-
rently the highest-ranking Asian American firefighter in any major American city.
 Helen Kim is a partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman, LLC. Ms. Kim focuses on Class Action Defense and
Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement. She served as President of NAPABA (National Asian Pa-
cific American Bar Association).
JUDGING CRITERIA
Essays will be judged in three (3) age groups: Grades 9 & 10, Grades 11 & 12, and College-age.
One winning essay and one runner-up will be chosen from each group to receive a prize. One grand prize
winning essay will be chosen of the three categories.
 50% Essay Content: Answered all parts of the essay prompt completely. Essay complies with
1250 word limit.
 20% Quality of Transcript: Text of transcript is accurate when checked against the audio re-
cording. Transcript is formatted as requested. Grammar and syntax are applied as appropriate.
See sample transcript.
 10% Style: Formatting is done as requested, end notes are attached to account for any journals
or books quoted. Grammar and syntax are correctly applied.
 10% Delivery: Essay points are organized to be convincing, the writer’s message flows well from
paragraph to paragraph, use of vocabulary is varied and effective.

SAMPLE TRANSCRIPT DATES TO REMEMBER


[Name of Interviewer]: Where were you when the April 12 - Essays due via email
riots began? April 29 (Friday) - Awards reception ceremony

[Name of Interviewee]: I was driving on the high- PRIZES AVAILABLE


way towards Downtown LA when I saw plumes of Grand Prize: $1000
smoke coming up from the Koreatown area. In each judging category,
First Place: $300
[Name of Interviewer]: What happened after that? Runner-Up: $150

[Name of Interviewee]: I drove into Koreatown to


investigate, and…

Hints for recording your interview


You can record your interview using a handheld recording device or an audio recording program on your
computer. If your laptop does not come with an audio recording program, you can download a free, PC-
and Mac-compatible audio editing program called Audacity here: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
___

If you encounter difficulties with audio recording or require more information, contact Esther Park at
esther@kacla.org or 213-365-5999 ext.401

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