NAKASEC was founded by local Korean community-based organizations from across the United States. These organizations felt the need for a strong, progressive voice that could impact federal policy and build a national movement.

NAKASEC remains strongly connected with and informed by the local groups that originally formed us.

Today, these Affiliates are: the Korean Resource Center of Southern California, HANA Center of greater Chicago, and NAKASEC Virginia based in the DMV area.  NAKASEC is also supporting the growth of Korean Americans for Civic Participation (KACP)/Woori Center and connecting with community members in Houston and Dallas, TX.

Our Affiliates serve as our channel to learn more about the issues impacting our community members at the grassroots level. This local to national channel directly informs NAKASEC’s national campaigns, policy agenda, and other projects.

Learn more about their work by reading on below:

Korean Resource Center (KRC)

The Korean Resource Center (KRC) was founded in 1983 to empower low-income, immigrant, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and communities of color in Southern California. Using a holistic approach, KRC strives to empower our community by integrating services, education, culture, organizing, and coalition building. These services seek to improve the life of the individual and the community. You can visit their website by clicking here.

HANA Center

Launched in February 2017, the HANA Center of greater Chicago is a merger of Korean American Community Services (KACS, founded 1972) and Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC, founded 1995). Meaning “one” in Korean, HANA Center is the culmination of a vision held by key stakeholders of KRCC and KACS. These leaders recognized the potential of establishing a single, united organization that combined KACS’ rapid/quick/urgent response to the critical needs of the Korean American and local resident communities and KRCC’s powerful community organizing, advocacy, and celebration of cultural heritage. Visit their website by clicking here.

NAKASEC VA

NAKASEC began working with community members in Northern Virginia in 2012, soon after the announcement of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Current programs and campaigns are centered around Immigrant Rights, Civic Engagement, Youth Leadership Development, and Community Services. For more information about each program contact:

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Miae Bok at mbok@nakasec.org

If you are interested in becoming a member or donating, contact Sookyung Oh at soh@nakasec.org

All staff can also be contacted 703-256-2208.

Woori Center

Founded in 2019, Woori Center’s mission is to organize multi-generational Korean and Asian Americans to provide a forum for education and understanding within the immigrant community, access to services, promote discussion of diverse ideas, cultures and perspectives, and provide a voice for the immigrant and low-income community. Meaning “us” or “we” in Korean, Woori Center runs programs in five key areas: community organizing & advocacy, civic engagement, youth leadership, immigrant services, and arts & culture. Working in these key areas, Woori Center aims to help its community members put in daily practices that echo the values of the Center’s national organization, NAKASEC: Live Right, Live Strong, Know Your Roots, and Live Together. Woori Center engages community members in the Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery and Chester Counties and will do our best to assist Korean and Asian American community requests statewide.

 

Learn more about Woori Center by clicking here. Also, follow Woori Center on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@wooricenter).

This post is also available in: Korean