Featured artists with the "America's Future Starts with Healthy Children" exhibit. Pictured from L-R: Muhammad Ibrahim from North Carolina, Senate Majority Leader Reid, & Min-Ji Yi from California
For Immediate Release
January 23, 2009
Contact:
Sookyung Oh, NAKASEC, 267-334-5918
A Picture Tells 1,000 Words
Through Art, Kids Urge Legislators to Promote Children’s Health Care
(Washington, D.C.) On both sides of the Capitol, student artists and their families joined Members of Congress and community organizations to call for swift action to be taken so that no child is waiting for health care. The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and its affiliates, the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center in Chicago (KRCC) and the Korean Resource Center (KRC) in Los Angeles (KRC) have been in D.C. since earlier this week, as they are the lead organizers of the “America’s Future Starts with Healthy Children” campaign.
“My drawing represents all the things that kids want to do, but can’t do if they are not healthy … even though my parents work, we can’t afford health insurance. So the few times that I do get sick, I know that they worry about how they’ll take care of me … all kids need health care. Without it, we won’t have the equal opportunity to live securely and to achieve our dreams,” stated Min-Ji Yi, a 16-year-old Korean American. She is currently a sophomore at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles.
Min-Ji was joined by several other artists at the unveiling program, which featured health advocates such as Cindy Mann with the Center for Children & Families and Ju-Yeon Ryu, Health Access Project organizer at the Korean Resource Center.
After the unveiling, Min-Ji spoke with senior policy staff at legislative visits and participated in a press conference organized by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
At the press conference, Senator Reid affirmed his support for the campaign’s policy goal of including legal immigrant children – a first step in realizing the inclusion of all kids.
“The art exhibited here showcases why health care is so important for children from the kids themselves. Leading up to the exhibit, teachers, parents, kids, and community organizers engaged in thoughtful discussion about who gets health care and what happens to those who don’t. This is the just the beginning as we work towards the day when everyone in the country has access to the highest quality, affordable health care,” stated Hemi Kim, D.C. Director of NAKASEC.
The art exhibit will continue at Union Station, West Hall from Monday, January 26 – Wednesday, January 28, 2009.
