Bridging Generations with Su Choe
She wants her communities’ conditions to improve so all immigrant families can safely access resources.
Meet our Korean Community Organizer
About Su
Pronouns: She/her
Age: 31
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Finds joy in: Cuddling with her two cats.
Frequently used emojis: 😻
Inspired by: First generation immigrants for their bravery to call an unfamiliar place home.
A Self-Introduction:
Su is a 1.5-generation Korean-American and graduated from Georgia State University with a Masters in Anthropology. Su is a sociocultural anthropologist whose research interests focus on social changes, cross-generation and community studies, and Asian Americans and Asian diasporas. In 2020, Su published a chapter in a book entitled The 1.5 Generation Korean Diaspora: A Comparative Understanding of Identity, Culture, and Transnationalism. Su is passionate about sharing immigrants’ narratives for a progressive and inclusive society.
Su, in conversation with the Asian American Advocacy Fund. This Q&A has been edited for grammar and clarity. Photographs are from Su’s personal collection.
Can you tell us a little about how you’ve come to community organizing?
I grew up seeing many friends hide because of their legal status. It was something we were not supposed to talk about: which visa we had, if we had a green card, or if we were undocumented. Despite no difference in effort, time or money, my family was lucky to get our green cards. These days, luck still puts people at risk of losing everything.
I am very passionate about community studies because I’m always looking for places and ways to develop my research interests as a 1.5 generation, a in-between generation / neither Korean nor American immigrant kid. I started engaging with the Georgia community by doing research on family relationships between first generation Korean American mothers and 1.5 generation daughters, like myself. My research revealed that first generation parents want their daughters to be independent; however, seeing how much their parents sacrifice to survive in US society, daughters are instilled with a deep responsibility to family.
Can you describe your relationship to your family?
My sister is married, works, and has a family in New York. We both studied there, but I came back to Georgia when my mom was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2016. My dad couldn’t really take care of her because his English is limited. It was hard to picture him taking her to the hospital and getting her medication prescriptions by himself.
This is how I started thinking about the lives of immigrant families; in many ways, we face so many difficulties. My family was never prepared to have someone with Alzheimer’s. But, I was able to access resources on how hospice treatment works in the US because I know English. My family situation grounds my devotion to this type of work. I want our communities’ conditions to improve so all immigrant families can access resources we need.
How do you feel about being a community organizer?
I didn’t think it would be so hard! I have many connections established in the Korean community, but when it comes to civic engagement and political participation, people are not as familiar with this work.
As a Korean community organizer, I am in charge of translating AAAF’s resources to make sure Korean Americans who are more familiar with the Korean language have access too. Some older Korean Americans do not have any resources or knowledge about elections. So I spend time with them going step-by-step: how to register to vote, how to apply for absentee ballots, how to submit the ballots, where to find early voting locations, etc.
We pay attention to relational organizing, which means we reach out to our friends and family. I focus on 1.5 generation voters because I understand why they don’t really think of America as their own country. I spend a lot of time having deep conversations with my friends and my friends’ friends to remind them we need to vote for changes, for our neighbors and friends who are still struggling with unequal treatment from legal status difficulties.
I’ve also been working a lot with Korean ethnic media during the election cycles. Since there are many Korean outlets — radio, TV, newspapers, we have pathways to deliver our many stories. Korean media is really popular, especially in small businesses. I made two audio ads and spoke on a Korean local radio station, where the host asked, “What does it matter to Korean communities?” So I got a chance to talk and deliver my thoughts. My dad and his church friends listen to the radio stations everyday; they called me back to tell me they heard me on the radio.
Since you’ve been working with older generations, what would you like older and younger to know?
Building trust between generations needs to be generation specific. Once I heard one older gentleman say to me “I’m sorry that you have to go through this”. As an immigrant, he didn’t have much time or energy to do civic work, because was focused on his own life and expenses. And he said “Thank you!”
Because of sacrifices made by older generations for our community, the Korean community is standing pretty strong here. I wish that the older generations would understand why the younger care about civic engagement. I want the younger generations to understand why their elders don’t want to talk about politics because that’s the culture they grew up with and lived in. I hope that the 1.5 generation can understand the nuances to fill in the gaps, and become a bridge between younger and older generations. Together, we can keep our immigrant communities safe and healthy.
How would you like to write about this present moment for the future?
During the presidential election, Korean news started reporting about Georgia as one of the states that could decide the election. Now Koreans know that there are Korean Americans in GA. With #AllEyesOnGeorgia, even Koreans from other states have been coming here to convince GA voters. We’re showing the power of our communities and among that, there’s a voice of Korean Americans.
As a community organizer, I get to meet more people and hear their stories. People care about immigrant communities, it’s just that many of our stories aren’t known. I want our stories to be told, written, and delivered. It’s not just about us speaking up, but it’s also about being heard.
The Asian American Advocacy Fund is a grassroots 501(c)4 social welfare organization dedicated to building a politically-conscious, engaged, and progressive Asian American base in Georgia.
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#GeorgiaOnMyMind gives voice to diverse perspectives, life experiences, and viewpoints. With a vision for a thriving future, we share this series to shift and shape public narratives about Georgians who organize for and with their communities.
