Amy HyunAh Pak and Sarah Kim Park, two incredible Korean adoptee mothers, antiracism activists and adoptee community leaders, join us for our very first episode. They generously share their journeys as Korean adoptees, daughters of the diaspora, and community mothers. We traverse deep territory, touching on areas such as ancestral connections, healing through parenting, and the strength and love that it takes to create new and mixed family cultures.
Amy HyunAh Pak Bio
Amy is a Korean American immigrant, transracial adoptee, and a mother with two decades of cultural community work in Seattle organizing around healing centered traditions and anti-racist coalition building with families of color and youth. After 15 years of service with numerous Seattle non-profits, and as a student advisor at UW’s Office of Minority Affairs, in 2013, Amy founded and served as Executive Director of Families of Color Seattle (FOCS). With a collective of new mothers committed to community transformation, Amy built a loving community of 3000+ changemaking parents raising compassionate, powerful children. Over the next eight years, FOCS became a critical family resource, providing BIPOC parent groups and anti-racist consulting to schools and institutions. Seattle Human Services Coalition awarded FOCS The 2016 Ron Chisom Anti-Racism Award. Currently, Amy leads as a Strategic Advisor for Best Starts for Kids with King County Public Health. Amy holds a Master of Social Work from University of Washington, is Dare to Lead (c) trained, and serves on the Board of Directors of Asian Counseling & Referral Services, Global Perinatal Services, and as a Partner with Social Venture Partners. Amy was honored with Seattle University’s 2019 Red Winged Leadership recognition, Female Founders 2019 Unsung Heroes award, and Seattle Storm’s 2019 Ginger Ackerley Community Service award. Amy is a daughter of the diaspora, a community mother, and is deeply committed to the advancement of and building sisterhood with BIPOC women and femme leadership.
Sarah Kim Park Bio
Sarah is a Korean adoptee, mother to two sons, and a community organizer in the Korean adoptee and transracial adoptee community. Since 2001, Sarah has served in leadership roles for various adoptee organizations, including 15 years as a board member and advisory board member of Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington (AAAW) and four years as a board member for International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA). Her work includes teaching at adoptee heritage summer camps, organizing adoptee conferences such as the IKAA Gatherings in Seoul, Korea and various Korean adoptee mini-gatherings in the U.S., speaking as a panelist at the Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN) conference, consulting on Asian adoptee exhibits at the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, WA, and fundraising for adoptee artists and filmmakers. Sarah holds a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Washington and completed her master's internship at Global Overseas Adoptees' Link (G.O.A.'L) in Korea.
Co-Hosts: Nari Baker & Robyn Park
Music: Mike Marlatt & Paul Gulledge
Editing: Frederico Soler Fernández
Artwork: Dalhe Kim
Listen on: iTunes & Spotify
Instagram: @laboroflovepodcast
Venmo: @laboroflovepodcast
