Commentary: Past prejudices disintegrate after Korean church visit
By Samantha Lyne

A week before Thanksgiving, seven Albion College students participated in an overnight visit with a Korean family in Detroit.

During the visit, these students attended services at the Korean Presbyterian Church of Metro Detroit.

The students included three Caucasians, three blacks and a Korean student. I was one of the seven.

On my way to this overnight visit, I had apprehensions about the trip. They stemmed from experiences I had while living in New York.

Once, for instance, a Korean woman accused me of owing her money for an item that I had already purchased. This caused a confrontation between the blacks and Korean workers who were in the store. The argument was settled by a Korean worker who witnessed my purchase.

A much more disturbing incident occurred in New York before my Detroit visit. A Korean store owner shot a black child after accusing the child of stealing from his store. This incident led to riots by blacks in the heights of Flatbush and Church Avenue in New York. When the Korean store closed down other Korean store owners were angered, and tensions in the neighborhood rose.

These experiences caused me to fear and dislike Korean Americans. However, I was determined to see if it was possible to change my attitude.

When we arrived at the church and I saw all the Korean families, my heart beat very fast. I was not sure I would be accepted in their homes. I feared they would discriminate against me because I am not Korean.

I was pleasantly surprised. They were amiable and disregarded the color of everyone's skin. They welcomed us with open arms and warm hearts.

While we were at the church, a Korean woman who was standing next to me started a conversation with me and, in turn, became my host mother.

Her name was Muhn Sook Kahng; she is a deacon in the church. On my way to her house, I felt uncomfortable not knowing the mindset of Koreans or how they actually view races other than their own.

While in the car, I asked her about Korean discrimination against other races.

"We are homogeneous," she replied. "If a Korean marries another race than its own, it will not be accepted in the family."

However, she said that she believes all humans are equal. How a person lives in society is what matters. Race should not be an issue.

Kahng also helped me realize the ignorance which sometimes poisons society."Each individual race has its good and bad people," she said. She believes that bad behavior results from a person's economic and social background.

While listening to Kahng, I was captivated by her perspective on this controversial issue. We both learned from each other, even though we are of different races. We looked beyond our skin color and ethnicity.

We laughed and talked about my Jamaican culture. During my stay with her, I felt as comfortable with her as I do with my own mother.

Speaking to her about the race issue allowed me to examine individual behaviors, not skin color.

Indeed, this was a positive experience for me. The other students and I never felt discriminated against during our stay.

This trip made me realize that the lack of experience of another's culture is often the source of racial prejudice.