THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 10, 1995 TAG: 9506100269
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
As minorities living in a cultural mixing bowl, the Korean-Americans hoped to form bonds with other ethnic groups in South Hampton Roads. And they wanted to help low-income kids willing to help themselves improve their lot in life.
So on Friday, the Tidewater Korean-American Association reached out to two inner-city black teenagers to make what Kae H. Chung described as ``a small investment for ourselves, for society as a whole.''
The group presented $1,000 scholarships to the Norfolk high school seniors to help them meet their dream of attending college.
``Hopefully,'' said Chung, a director of the association and a marketing professor at Old Dominion University, ``it will pay off in the long run.''
Dr. Kyung Wok Rhee, who runs a private medical practice in Virginia Beach and is president of the association, presented the checks.
``This is a way to solve problems and maybe break down racial barriers and bridge the gap between the rich and the poor,'' Rhee said.
Both of the students - Aisha Durham of Lake Taylor High and Tiffany Wade of Booker T. Washington High - grew up in public housing neighborhoods. When they were younger, they held out little hope of going to college because their families lacked the money.
But they said Friday that they refused to become statistics of urban poverty and violence. To qualify for the scholarship, they had to maintain at least a B grade average, have an annual family income of less than $20,000 and be involved in the community.
Durham, 18, aspires to become a journalist and ``rewrite the stereotypical views of African-Americans.'' In an essay to the association, Durham, who will attend Virginia Commonwealth University, wrote: ``Treading on familiar bloodstains in a concrete jungle where money is power and morals are powerless, I realize higher education is the only way I can escape this deteriorating environment I call home.''
Wade, 17, who plans to study chemical engineering at Howard University, wrote: ``I come from a single-parent home where we are currently receiving public assis tance. And growing up in the projects, I have seen what a lack of education can do for one's future. I do not want to end up this way and I will not become a product of my society.''
The teenagers said they resisted the negative influences of their environment with a strong support system: their mothers, caring teachers and the church. They were gratified Friday to receive help from an unexpected quarter.
``By going outside the Asian-American community, I think they are promoting racial harmony,'' Durham said of the association.
``There are diverse groups everywhere, and we've got to learn to live and work together,'' Wade said. ``We're all in this together, and in order to make the United States a better country, we've all got to stick together.''
This is the second year the association has given the scholarships. Rhee said he hopes to raise more money next year.
The Korean community in South Hampton Roads is small - about 400 families representing an estimated 2,000 people, he said.
While Rhee said the teens' race was not a primary factor for awarding the scholarships, he acknowledged that the local Korean and black communities are linked economically.
``We are working real hard through our business community,'' Rhee said. ``Black folks provide a lot of income to our businesses, so we have to give something back.''
George Crawley, an assistant city manager who said he has taken an interest in the association's work, said the city has picked the two teenagers to serve on a panel that will try to sell Norfolk as an All-American City.
``The delegation needs to be diverse and to represent our community,'' Crawley said.
Crawley said he hopes the scholarship program will serve as a catalyst to begin a dialogue between the two communities.
``I'd like to try to start a social group where we can talk and socialize and destroy the myths on both sides,'' Crawley said. ``In a small way, hopefully, we can blur the lines and remove the barriers to understanding and people working together.'' ILLUSTRATION: D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
Staff
Korean-Americans gave scholarships Friday to Tiffany Wade, left, of
Booker T. Washington, and Aisha Durham of Lake Taylor.
by CNB