WESTLAKE : Authors Hope Book Bridges Racial Gaps

The authors of the new book “Bridge Toward Unity” hope their work will help Los Angeles’ ethnic communities begin to understand and mend the divisions that have kept them apart.

“The publication of this book marks a real departure within the Korean American community,” said Edward J. W. Park, one of the authors and an assistant professor of ethnic studies at Cal Poly Pomona. “It’s an attempt to break the insularity of the Korean American community and reach out to other communities in Los Angeles.”

Written and compiled by four Korean American community activists who work with Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates, the book features interviews with Korean Americans, African Americans and Latinos who talk about their lives and experiences and the effects of last year’s riots.

The book also includes a brief examination of the development of the Korean American community, an assessment of government and community responses to the riots, and a bibliography on political, social and economic issues.

The 39-page English-language version is bound with a Korean translation. A Spanish-language translation will be published if enough money can be raised. The first 1,000 copies cost $5,000 to produce, the authors said.

As members of the “1.5-generation” of Korean Americans who were born in Korea but came to the United States at an early age, the authors--Park, Juliana J. Kim, Miliann Kang and Hae Won Park--said they want to help first-generation Korean immigrants better adjust to life in a multiethnic city.

The book is available for $10 through the Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates, 2430 W. 3rd St.

Information: (213) 738-9050.