Koreatown Los Angeles: Immigration, Race, and the “American Dream”

Sponsored by The Book Club of California.

This talk is based on the book Koreatown, Los Angeles: Immigration, Race, and the “American Dream,” which delves into the social and cultural history of Korean Americans in Los Angeles, focusing on the period from the late 1960s to the early 2000s. The presentation will explore the argument that building Koreatown was an urgent objective for Korean immigrants and US-born Koreans, serving simultaneously as a vital economic base and a profound emotional and social anchor. It will examine how figures defined as “place entrepreneurs,” such as Sonia Suk and Hi Duk Lee, spearheaded the community’s development from a modest cluster of businesses into a thriving, recognized enclave. Their entrepreneurial achievements, lauded in publications as proof that the “American Dream is Alive and Well in Koreatown,” underscored the irony of success achieved during an era of diminishing opportunities for others.

A virtual presentation by Shelley Lee, author and W. Duncan MacMillan II Professor of American Studies, History, and Humanities, Brown University.

To register for this online event, click here.