Our History

1965

A More Multicultural Society

In the wake of the civil rights movement and major reforms in immigration law, US. society underwent drastic changes. While the Korean American population in New York grew rapidly, it lacked a sense of unity and connection. Many were first-generation immigrants who faced racial discrimination, poverty and language barriers. The founders of the MinKwon Center first immigrated to the United States during this time, and their experiences led them to establish an organization that prioritized the needs of marginalized members with less access to resources.

1980s

Our Early Work

The MinKwon Center officially opened in 1984 and focused our efforts on education for young Korean-Americans and social services for Korean families and elders. Educational programs included preschool care for working parents, after-school activities and classes, a summer youth program, monthly political forums, and a community library consisting of 3,000 books on civil rights and social issues. Social services included applying for government benefits, registering for senior housing, obtaining citizenship, and resolving debt.

1985

Creation of Binari -- Korean-American Cultural Troupe

MinKwon Center created a Korean-American cultural troupe, Binari, that is best known for its performance of poongmul, a band of traditional Korean percussion instruments symbolizing the elements of the universe. By revitalizing Korean traditions at cultural festivals, with one performance bringing over 2,500 people across New England, Binari combatted the cultural isolation and loss of identity many Koreans were experiencing. MinKwon Center also began to expand its mission for all immigrants by embracing the inclusive philosophy of multicultural, multiracial solidarity.

1990

Growing Anti-Immigrant Sentiment

Korean Americans began becoming more politically and socially active in the 1990s. Anti-immigrant politicians swept into power during this time; they began to blame immigrants and pushed for policies like California’s Proposition 187, which would sharply cut back public benefits for both undocumented and legal immigrants and increase deportations, with similar laws cropping up across the country.

1995

Washington Post Ad Campaign

MinKwon Center helped launch the Washington Post ad campaign, which placed two full-page advertisements in The Washington Post, a newspaper of choice for policymakers. We brought together communities to highlight immigrants’ contributions to American society, and the destructive nature of anti-immigration policies. Staff and volunteers worked for two months on the “One Person, One Dollar” fundraising drive, bringing together more than 300 organizations to raise money for the ads.

1996

Fix ‘96 Campaign

Congress passed an immigration law that made it more difficult for documented immigrants to reunite with their families who lived abroad. The new policies emphasized expelling undocumented immigrants, and established a 3- or 10-year bar on allowing them re-entry into the country. MinKwon Center led the Fix ’96 campaign with civil rights and legal organizations to roll back and amend these laws.

2001

DREAM Act Launch

The first major push for a comprehensive DREAM Act for undocumented youth began in 2001. The September 11 tragedy delayed a hearing on the DREAM Act and brought forth drastic change in the direction of US. foreign and domestic policy with heavy emphasis on national security. Not only were civil and human rights of immigrant communities violated, but the rights of the general American public were at stake. MinKwon Center continued to work for immigrants’ rights including the passage of the DREAM Act, which would allow immigrant youth to gain legal immigration status, but also advocated against budget cuts on the city, state, and federal levels, and for improvements in the education system.

2005

New York Times Ad Campaign

Inspired by the success of the 1995 Washington Post ad campaign, MinKwon Center led the New York Times ad campaign to stop drastic anti-immigrant legislation that was supported under “national security” rhetoric. The ad was targeted to NY local and state officials to pass laws that would declare the city and state as sanctuaries for all immigrant residents.

2006

“We Are America” Immigrant Rights March

In response to H.R. 4437, which would raise penalties for illegal entry and criminalize all undocumented immigrants and their supporters as “felons”, MinKwon Center participated in “We Are America” protest movement that swept across the country, with the largest protest in Los Angeles that brought nearly 1.5 million people. MinKwon marched with Latino, Black, Southeast Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern immigrants to say no to H.R. 4437 and yes to a just path to citizenship. H.R. 4437 failed in the Senate, but left a trail of consequences for community members, including heightened raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the final years of the Bush administration.

2009

Immigrant Rights Legal Clinic & Launch of our New Name

MinKwon Center is proud to be one of the first organizations in New York City to establish a pro bono legal clinic for the Korean-American community, and we expanded our services to serve more documented and undocumented immigrants in our communities. In celebration of our 25th anniversary, we re-launched as the MinKwon Center for Community Action, MinKwon meaning “civil rights” in the Korean language.

2010

Washington D.C. Rally for Immigration Reform

MinKwon Center converged with hundreds of immigrant rights organizations from nearly every state in the country at the “March for America” in Washington DC., drawing an estimated 200,000 people demanding comprehensive immigration reform.

2012

Launch of Legal Services for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)

When the Obama administration instituted the DACA program, MinKwon Center promptly began providing legal help and services for eligible immigrant youth to apply for protected status, receive confirmation, and renew their status every 12-18 months. This growth in support and engagement enabled MinKwon to launch its DREAMer group, comprised of DACA recipients and undocumented immigrant youth advocating for the rights of all immigrant youth and their families.

2014

60,000 New Immigrant Voters Registered

Ten years after MinKwon started its New Immigrant Voter Registration Drive, we have registered over 60,000 new immigrant voters in NY state. Week in and week out, staff and volunteers engaged in street outreach, events, and registration drives at the Brooklyn courthouse. This massive registration drive continues to be the cornerstone of MinKwon’s activities for civic participation.

2015

Equitable Rezoning Campaign

MinKwon Center joined the Flushing Rezoning Community Alliance and co-hosted town halls, rallies and marches to educate the Flushing, Queens residents about the city’s current plans to rezone the streets of downtown Flushing and demand equitable rezoning that is responsive to the community’s needs. Demands included real affordable housing, anti-displacement and anti-harassment policies for low-income tenants and small businesses, and good jobs and local hire with local and long-term neighbors.

2016

Black Lives Matter

MinKwon Center participated in a rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, calling on the end to systemic racism in law enforcement and the criminal justice system, and highlighting the need for immigrant rights and racial justice organizations to work together for collective goals.

2017

The Trump Era

The Trump administration was powered by decades of racist, nativist, and anti-immigrant sentiment and rhetoric that resulted in one of the cruelest and most draconian immigration agendas in recent memory. Policies like the Muslim Ban, the Border Wall, Child Separation, Remain in Mexico, Public Charge, repealing DACA and TPS, denying entry for refugees and asylum seekers, increasing immigration fees and eliminating income-based aid, cracking down on immigrant rights activists, and supporting Latin American border enforcement have torn families apart and made life considerably difficult for most immigrants. The MinKwon Center participated in many legal and political campaigns to defend our human and civil rights and mobilize our communities to demand change.

2019-20

Flushing Rezoning

MinKwon Center launched a grassroots campaign opposing the Special Flushing Waterfront District, a luxury development in downtown Flushing that was filed in Dec. 2019 without community notice or input and without any affordable housing or anti-displacement provisions as drafted collectively from our Equitable Rezoning Campaign. MinKwon founded the Flushing for Equitable Development and Urban Planning (FED UP) coalition in Feb. 2020, bringing together housing, labor, environmental, and small business groups together to resist this private takeover of our neighborhood during the ULURP process.

2020

COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic reached New York City in March 2020, and the subsequent stay-at-home orders and public health mandates to combat the spread have exacerbated existing social, economic, and political inequalities in our communities. Immigrants, many of whom are essential workers, were at greater risk of losing their jobs, closing their businesses, falling behind on rent, and contracting and dying from COVID-19. MinKwon Center launched a new line of services to respond to the ever-changing need. We assisted community members with unemployment, stimulus checks, rent relief, small business relief, and tax credits. We raised millions to conduct our own direct cash and rent assistance programs to undocumented Korean Americans. We co-hosted COVID-19 testing sites and assisted people with tech and language barriers to make COVID-19 vaccine appointments. We will continue to provide our pandemic response so our communities can recover and build back stronger than before.

Now

No Time to Waste

The inauguration of the Biden administration and new Congress was made possible through new, immigrant, working-class, re-enfranchised voters and voters of color turning out to the polls and putting a democratic end to Trump. We have no time left to waste to push for comprehensive immigration reform and other critically-needed reforms for the economy, healthcare, education, infrastructure, criminal justice, the environment, and our civic process. We will hold elected officials accountable to their promises and continue to build community power and action.