Koreatown Storytelling Program

[Spanish Interview]Before we begin this episode, we would like alert you all that this episode is not recommended for Children. It contains strong opinions, language and mature subjects. Listener discretion is advised.  It is important for us to share trigger and content warnings on the topics discussed in this episode including deportation, death, and sex. If you would like confidential free help or some one to speak with. The national helpline for substance abuse and mental health services is 1-800-662-4357. Additionally,  LA’s LGBT Center also has a warm line for those facing violence and assault at 323-860-5806. Please Know that you are not alone. Welcome to the KSP Podcast! Today we share a Spanish interview with Koreatown gay elder Venus.  It is a honest conversation with Venus about his life in Los Angeles. Due to the length our interview, We have decided to break it into two parts. If you have not listened to the first part of the conversation, check it out here. In this second part of our conversation, you will hear Venus talk about his identity and religion, his experience at Westlake’s Oldest Gay Bar The Silver Platter, and being a part of the Silver Platter’s documentary film “Wildness”directed by Wu Tsang.  The snippet to begin the episode is from the first episode where Venus spoke about his home birth. Halfway out during birth, the midwife who delivered Venus thought he was female. This was believed because of his positioning. Once fully out, the midwife realized he was male. From there he says, “There is where the myth of my life begins, I’ve been happy being gay,”.  We began the second part of our conversation talking about religion and it’s importance to Venus. Thank you for listening to this episode. 

Today we share our Korean interview with Sion Kim (김석연) a Korean beekeeping expert with extensive knowledge of traditional beekeeping methods and the healing properties of bee venom. His expertise includes caring for bees and using bee venom therapy, a practice valued in traditional medicine. Sion is the grandfather of one of our KSP students, Timothy Lee.Before we share our Korean interview with Sion, producer Tony Morales sits with student Timothy Lee to talk more about his experience interviewing his grandfather. We learn more about Timothy’s family history, speaking Korean, and what he strives to pursue after high school. If you wish to read the English Transcript of Sion’s Interview, please visit the link below.https://www.koreatownstorytellingprogram.org/sionkimSion Kim Interviewed by: Alexander Perez Callahan, Timothy Lee, and Jonah LeeEpisode produced by: Tony Morales

September is National Recovery Month, where we uplift stories of recovery from substance use disorder and spotlight our recovery services. At KYCC we offer Drug and Alcohol Recovery Services (RS), integrating a harm-reduction approach with a focus on individualized care.  Koreatown Storytelling Program producer Tony Morales, sat down with Recovery Services Coordinator Jennifer Avilez to talk more about recovery. They begin by asking: what is recovery and why are these services important in Koreatown?  In this conversation, we learn more about Recovery Month, the stigma of substance-use disorder, recovery testimonies, and how the recent raids have ripple impacts in a recovery process.  To learn more about our recovery services and/or request services, click the link below. https://www.kyccla.org/services/drug-...

The Koreatown Storytelling Program Podcast interviews Koreatown’s very own Jonnie Park, also known as Dumbfoundead. A Koreatown icon, acclaimed rapper, actor, and podcast host, Jonnie uses his voice to uplift community stories and Asian American narratives on a global stage. Jonnie has recently appeared in hit shows and movies like Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens and Anderson .Paak's K-Pops!, and is currently a writer on the upcoming season of Netflix’s Emmy-winning series Beef. He recently co-MCed KYCC’s 50th Anniversary Benefit Concert on August 21st at 7pm at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. KSP audio producer, Tony Morales, sits down with Jonnie at the KSP Treehouse to talk about growing up in Koreatown, the importance of community centers in his creativity, and rap helped him gain confidence in identity.

Thank you for listening to KSP’s Podcast Series “Que Podemos Hacer” where we share our community's response to recent ICE Raids. This is the final episode of the series.On the morning of August 14th in Little Tokyo, Customs and Border Protection Agents arrived and stationed near the Japanese American National museum and detained at least one person. In a witness video shared by ICE out of LA, a witness says CBP vehicles were lined down the block and around the corner. At the same time, California Governor Gavin Newsom was holding a press conference on redistricting plans at the same museum. Earlier this week, a group of unions, community organizations, nonprofits, and faith groups united under The Summer of Resistance Coalition. On Tuesday August 12th , the coalition protested recent federal immigration enforcement actions by rallying and marching at MacArthur Park. Additionally, they asked Angelinos to boycott Home Depot, Penske, Target, and fast food restaurants to draw more attention to the raids.This week is the return to school for many students in Los Angeles, from the first day of grade school to first classes at a college campus. Perfect timing to have educator and musician, Victor Campos, on our series. Victor runs a nonprofit called Mosh for Youth, where they donate scholarships to students entering their first year in college. How do they raise their funds? Through the intense energy and support from the harcore music scene. Most recently Mosh For Youth has been supporting their larger community impacted by ICE Raids. Mosh for Youth along with other organizations came together to raise funds for impacted families through a harcore music festival called “This is L.A.” I spoke with Victor to learn more about Mosh For Youth, supporting students and communities, and the power music has in this moment. KYCC Resource: KYCC offers grocery support to families impacted by the raids in Koreatown and surrounding communities. On Friday August 22nd from 9am to 11am at KYCC Menlo Family Center, our staff will be distributing free groceries. We ask you to bring your own bag and register on site day of between 9am - 10:30am. Food is available while supplies last. For more information, please call 213-365-7400 extension 5600.

On the morning of July 7th, dozens of federal agents swept through MacArthur Park. No one was taken in the sweep, but USBP Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K Bovino used footage from the sweep with Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA” to post an edited video on social media.  On August 1st, a federal appeals court ruling upheld a lower court’s temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking federal agencies from conducting immigration stops based on racial profiling. Yet since then, ICE and Border Patrol continue raids at a car wash in Lakewood and Home Depots in Paramount Hollywood, and most recently near MacArthur Park.  On Aug. 6th at the Home Depot near MacArthur Park. Federal agents hopped out of a yellow Penske truck detaining 16 people in the raid. Today on the show we have Valeria Gonzalez, a prevention specialist at KYCC that works with the MacArthur Park Community Initiative. The initiative focuses on strengthening youth activism and leadership development among Westlake residents and the surrounding community. KSP intern Cira Mejia, asks Valeria how the MacArthur Park community has responded to the recent raids and the sweep that happened last month. 

One the first of July, federal immigration agents detained 2 street vendors in Koreatown. On the corner of Venice and Vermont, food vendors Angelina Solis and Reyna were detained as they prepared for their day of sales. Please support our vendors, below are GoFundMe profiles created by their loved ones. Angelina SolisReyna In recent data from the Deportation Data Project, most of the people detained in recent raids in Los Angeles had no criminal history. The month also began with a Community Strike Against Ice, organized by the Los Angeles Tenants Union. On Tuesday July 1st, the Tenants union had a protest beginning on Wilshire and Union where they continue the push for demands. Union Del Barrio along with many organizations and unions called for a boycott to Home Depot.This week we spoke with a community member within our organization KYCC, Jeffrey Mashburn. Jeffrey is a manager in our Enhanced Care Management OR ECM unit. ECM focuses on providing support and resources to our most high-risk community members with Medi-Cal. In our conversation with Jeffrey, we learn about the impact raids have be having in the ECM unit. If you would like to apply to KYCC’s Enhanced Care Management program please reach out to the email and/or phone number below. Jeffrey Mashburn: jmashburn@kyccla.orgECMreferrals@kyccla.org Call at (213) 365-7400 (Ext. 5128)Location:3727 W. 6th St.Ste. 619Los Angeles, CA 90020

On Monday June 23rd in Culver City, beloved paletero Ambricio Lozano also known as Enrique, was taken by masked men in unmarked cars. Enrique’s ice cream cart was left in the middle of Culver Blvd, a community he has sold to for over 20 years. On that same Monday in Ladera Heights,  federal immigration agents took food vendor Selena Vanessa Hernandez cling on a tree near a Home Depot. Another week of attacks on working community members. What support is there available for our street vendors? This week student intern Cira Mejia and myself Tony Morales spoke with Lyzzeth Mendoza and Quetzal Flores from the eastside organization Community Power Collective (CPC). Their mission is to organize with tenants, street vendors and transit riders in communities of color to create a solidarity economy, win community control of land & housing, and form dignified public systems that facilitate a culture of radical care. CPC , along with nonprofits East LA Community Corporation, Inclusive Action for the City and Public Counsel, created the LA Street Vendor Solidarity Fund. This fund was created to support street vendors impacted by ICE Raids. For the second part of our series “Que Podemos Hacer?” focusing on the community's response to I.C.E raids, we spoke with CPC to learn about their fund and to support street vendors at this moment. Please support their fund here, and support your local street vendor! 

On June 19th 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted two raids at Home Depots in Southern California. The Spanish news-station Univision, interviewed a day laborer at a Home Depot in Sylmar, where one of the raids occurred. The day laborer interviewed says, he saw 10-15 workers detained. Another raid happened closer to our community, at a Home Depot in Hollywood. In an instagram Reel Thursday afternoon, LA Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez said ICE detained 20 people, including day laborers and street vendors. Similarly a couple weeks ago on June 6th, Homeland Security Investigations agents raided the MacArthur Park Home Depot.  As a response, the Los Angeles Tenants Union - KTown Local set up a Community Defense Center in front of the same Home Depot. In this episode, student-intern Cira Mejia and audio producer Tony Morales speak with KTown Local organizer Fernando to learn more about their Community Defense Center, the hub's goal, and his views/experience on community's response to I.C.E raids. Before we shared our conversation with Fernando, Cira and Tony had the opportunity to speak with community members. Out of concern for their own safety, the people they spoke with declined to be recorded, but still shared their experiences. *** Important Notice: The views expressed by our guests in the content belong to guests of show and not the organization, its affiliates, or employees. ***

This last month, KSP has been highlighting 6 businesses from Western Ave for our latest project, Legacies of Western Ave. or LOWA in short. In this project, we interviewed six Korean-American business owners about the history and changing landscape of owning and operating their small businesses on Western Avenue since the 1980s. This project builds on our K-Town Atlas, which is a collection of Digital story maps documenting the history, culture, and people of LA’s Koreatown and neighboring communities. Check out Legacies of Western Avenue here! In this episode, we want to give you all an inside look and speak with our KSP team who took part in making this project happen. The guests include our director Katherine Kim, project-interviewers Jonah lee and Jane Lee, and social media coordinator Janice Yun. We spoke about what Western Ave means to them, their experiences meeting the business owners, and the project’s impact online and with the store owners interviewed. Throughout the episode we will present snippets from our LOWA interviews. The interviews are all in Korean, but their translations are here: Legacies of Western Ave. Snippet Translations.  If you would like to know more about Legacies of Western, check out our website at koreatownstorytellingprogram.org. We will also like to thank every person who made this project possible. CreditsK-Town Atlas Project DirectorKatherine Yungmee KimKYCC Project LeadShawn KukKDI Project LeadJerome ChouKDI Design Coordinator Ross HansenKDI Graphic DesignerRachel KimK-Town Atlas ArcGIS ConsultantMiles Kim ParrLOWA Writer, History of Western Avenue Cristina TevesLOWA InterviewersJonah Lee, Jane LeeLOWA PhotographerEmanuel HahnLOWA VideographerPriscilla LeeK-Town Atlas Project CoordinatorDilan AskewK-Town Atlas Audio ProducerTony MoralesK-Town Atlas Social Media CoordinatorJanice YunLOWA EditorsDilan Askew, Jonah Lee, Monica NegreteLOWA Korean ProofreadersJonah Lee, Sehwa YoonLOWA Spanish ProofreadersMonica Negrete, Ana Sofia RodriguezKSP High School InternsLazar Johnson, Melany Robles, Jun Suh

Today on the KSP Podcast, we premiere an interview from our most recent cohort on “Traditional Healing”. We spoke with healer Edith Rincon, who taught a workshop at our fair El MERCADITO MÁGICO. Edith is an Intuitive Energy Practitioner with over 20+ years of teaching experience in the public school system. She now teaches alternative healing methods, mental well-being, and simple daily self-care rituals. Her training and certifications include Reiki Levels 1 and 2, Crystal Healing, Curanderismo, and Yoga. In this episode, Edith reminds us of the power we hold in our own healing. This interview was led by our KSP student Timothy Lee, and UCLA Spring intern Raphael Low.  

This is the last episode of our "Notes From Koreatown Series" with another amazing intergenerational program, Heart of L.A. Eisner Intergenerational Music Programs. Heart of Los Angeles is a non profit organization that gives underserved kids an equal chance to succeed through a comprehensive array of after school academics, arts, athletics, and wellness programs. We will be interviewing members of its intergenerational big band and choir. We'll dive into how these programs bring together musicians of all ages, celebrate the transformative power of music, and create a lasting impact on the Los Angeles communityThank you so much for listening to Notes From Koreatown. A series where we highlighted the music creation in our community. We hope you enjoyed the stories and soundtrack that connect our community. This series was produced by Cira Mejia and Tony MoralesCommunications Associate: Janice YunDirector of  Koreatown Storytelling Program: Katherine Kim Program Coordinator: Dilan AskewKSP Interns: Jane Lee and Jonah Lee are

In a community where stories connect and collide, we bring you our episode on hip hop in Koreatown through a musical technique used in hip hop: the remix.In this episode we learn more about hip hop stories in Ktown through four artists: Omar from Hist City LA, Rappers Preservear and Rezand producer Jonathan.All artists are connected through Hist City LA. They are a clothing and media company that hosts rap freestyles around the city, called “101 Freestyle”. Join us as we remix their journeys, creative process, and the culture they showcase through hip hop.Tracklist 101 Freestyle Ep. 2 KAOZ101 Freestyle Ep 5 Preservear101 Freestyle Ep. 6 Dazy Lynvanessa (ft. kaoz) (prod. by 8een)Hip Hop Is Dead - Nas Sounds like Love - J. DillaRewind - NasPreservation - Wu-Tang Clan, Del the Funky Homosapien, Aesop RockMe Against the World  - TupacPreservear - PreservearI Against I - Jedi Mind Tricks Y Volvere - Los Angeles Negros Best Rapper Alive - Lil Wayne Yesterday & Today - Murs Dancing in the Rain - Blu/ Exile Episode produced by Cira Mejia and Tony Morales Interns - Jane Lee & Jonah LeeCommunications Associate - Janice YunProgram Coordinator- Dilan AskewProgram Director - Katherine Kim

"Notes from Koreatown" is our latest interview series with artists creating Koreatown’s music. Today, we will be talking with garbagebarbie, a dynamic indie-rock group  featuring Fletcher Malloy, Daniel Khorashev, Anson Knopp, and Brayden Huff.  They were recently signed to State of the Arts and known for their bold creativity through their incorporation of quirky AI intros and high energy music. Cira connected with the band through Open Market, a sandwich shop on Wilshire in Koreatown. On the shop's website they state, "Open market is a space where you can have a coffee, a conversation and leave with a connection." Listen to the band's journey from Arizona and Minnesota to Koreatown, and how the music has been influenced. Episode produced by Cira Mejia and Tony Morales Interns - Jane Lee & Jonah Lee Communications Associate - Janice Yun Program Coordinator- Dilan Askew Program Director - Katherine Kim

KSP’s Notes from Koreatown, is an interview series with artists creating Koreatown’s music.  In our first episode of the series we learn about our narrator and series producer, Cira Mejia. We learn how her love for music begins, grows from admiration to creation, and the soundtrack that comes along with it.  Cira is a KSP student turned intern, preparing for her cross-country move to college. But before she leaves, she would love to take notes from her city with her.  This episode was produced by Cira Mejia and Tony Morales.  Episode Tracklist  Lento - Julieta Venegas  Las Mañanitas - Lali Torres gotta get it [freestyle] (prod. bvtman) - Rez vanessa (ft. kaoz) (prod. By 8een) - Rez Astray - Wednesday Again “Notes from Koreatown” Theme - Cira Mejia plasmaraye - garbagebarbie 101 Freestyle Season 2 Ep.1: Jakarta Slim Heart Of Los Angeles’ Intergenerational Big Band Late Drive Home - Wednesday Again 

Today on the show KSP intern Jane Lee, and program coordinator Dilan Askew interviewed Kija Kim. Kija is was the founder and CEO of Harvard Design & Mapping Co., served on the Massachusetts Asian American commission, and has also been a board member at multiple institutions including. Most recently she has added “author” to her CV, writing and publishing “meridian” a memoir that details her childhood in Korea, her coming to and coming of age in the U.S., and both the losses and successes that have shaped her adult life. She also just happens to be our program director Katherine’s Mom! We spoke with Kija about the process of writing a memoir, the importance of writing as a healing process, and navigating abusive relationships as a woman. Kija emphasized the power of sharing your story with your friends and family and encouraged me to ask my grandmother questions about her life! As a lot of us are spending time with our family, friends, and loved ones for thanksgiving take some inspiration from Kija and explore a family story! Happy thanksgiving and we hope you find strength in storytelling in this interview!

[Spanish Interview] Before we begin this episode, we would like alert you all that this episode is not recommended for Children. It contains strong opinions, language and mature subjects. Listener discretion is advised.   It is important for us to share trigger and content warnings on the topics discussed in this episode including deportation, death, and sex work. If you would like confidential free help or some one to speak with. The national helpline for substance abuse and mental health services is 1-800-662-4357. Additionally,  LA’s LGBT Center also has a warm line for those facing violence and assault at 323-860-5806. Please Know that you are not alone.  Today we share a Spanish interview with Koreatown gay elder Venus.  It is a honest conversation with Venus about his life migrating from El Salvador to the U.S., and what Los Angeles in the 80s was like for him. Due to the length our interview, we have decided to break it into two parts.  In this first part of our conversation, you will hear Venus talk about his upbringing in his grandmother’s bakery, the relationship with his mother, and opinions on queer identity. In the snippet to begin the episode, Venus spoke about his home birth. Halfway out during birth, The midwife who delivered Venus thought he was female. This was believed because of his positioning. Once fully out, the midwife realized he was male. From there he says, “There is where the myth of my life begins, I’ve been happy being gay."  We began the first part of our conversation talking about what Venus had for breakfast and how she learned how to make make tamales from her homeland of El Salvador. 

Happy Halloween!  Earlier this year, the KSP team took a trip to watch the Korean supernatural film Exhuma, which translates to exhuming and relocation of a grave.  After watching the film, the team got together to talk more about the film and what we know/don’t know about shamanism and its influence in Korean culture. In summary,, shamanism is a practice that involves a person called a shaman, interacting with the spirit world to help people, heal, or perform other tasks.  We hope you enjoy this conversation on the team’s experience talking with family about shamanism, and grappling with what makes a practice authentic. More than anything, the film was a doorway for the team to begin thinking about this year’s theme, traditional healing. Episode produced by Tony Morales Guests: Interns - Jane Lee & Jonah Lee Communications Associate - Janice Yun Program Associate - Dilan Askew Program Director - Katherine Kim

Minye Cho has helped KSP produce video interviews in collaboration with Korean American Story. She has produced videos for global companies Samsung and Spotify and for kpop musicians such as Aespa. To name a few… Today we share a part of her journey from studying engineering in Korea to making her short film “Invisible” in Atlanta, and now managing a production company in Los Angeles. We hope you enjoy this conversation!  Join us on Saturday October 19th 2024 to El Mercadito Magico, a traditional healing arts community festival. We will be having workshops from local healers such as acupuncturists and herbalists. Come enjoy great food from local food vendors. We will be at MacArthur park from 10am to 4pm. For more information, check out https://www.koreatownstorytellingprogram.org/ 

Boyle Heights Beat is a bilingual community news project produced by youth, offering “noticias por y para la comunidad,” or “news by and for the community.” Koreatown Storytelling Program is an intergenerational, multilingual and multiethnic oral history and digital media program that teaches high schoolers how to document, investigate, and interpret the stories of marginalized members of our community for public benefit. BHB and KSP students are recent high school graduates heading off to college. We are collaborating on this podcast to share and process their thoughts as they embrace new beginnings at college.