As the mother of three children herself, Susan Gimm’s heart broke for the young woman who tearfully described going through a major identity crisis, not being able to understand who she was because she had no understanding of her roots. The young woman had been adopted from Korea and raised in the United States by an American family. When she was a teenager she had decided to learn more about her background by going to a Korean church. “She was well-accepted in the beginning,” explains Gimm. “But when other Koreans found out she was adopted, the congregation turned cold. She discovered that Korean adults had a prejudice against adopted children.”
It was 10 years ago that Gimm met the young woman at a conference of Korean students representing colleges in the northeast. And it was 10 years ago that Gimm decided to do something to help other adopted Korean children get in touch with their heritage and learn something about their native land. “That was my main motivation. I said let’s have a festival of Korean culture for these young people. I knew that I might have some prejudices myself, just as a lot of people do. I felt that we could all use some education.”
Her church was very responsive. On Saturday, September 17, the Princeton Korean Presbyterian Church will hold its 10th annual Korean CultureFest at the First Presbyterian Church in Plainsboro. Open by invitation to families with children of all ages adopted from Korea, the event will feature Korean food, music, dance, calligraphy, and most of all, friendship with other families. Over the last few years the event has drawn families from all over New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
“We can empower these children while they’re growing up,” says Gimm. “They know that there is a community of people and they can say, oh, they look like me. For those children, we want to be supportive. We want to be open to anybody with questions and special needs.”
Gimm explains that Koreans don’t have a strong tradition of adoption. “They care more about blood ties. Who are your parents? Who are your grandparents? Where did you come from? When they see someone who doesn’t have any background, an orphan, they have a prejudice.” Gimm says it wasn’t just the children she wanted to help, but the adoptive parents as well. “They had adopted Korean children but they often they didn’t know much about Korea. I thought it would be the responsibility of the Korean community around here to do something.”
Educating people is something that comes naturally to Gimm, a professor of chemistry at the Community College of Philadelphia. A resident of Princeton for the last 15 years, Gimm was born in Tokyo and attended college in Seoul, Korea. Her father was a politician. Her mother was a high school principal and administrator. Gimm came to the United States in 1961 to do graduate work in chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. She also met her husband there. He runs a consulting company in Seoul that he started 10 years ago. They have three grown children and their first grandchild is due at the end of the month.
Highlights of the Korean CultureFest include a demonstration of Tae Kwon Do, a lesson in folk dance, a talent show, and games including tug-of-war and a potato sack relay. There will also be traditional Korean drawing and picture-taking with Korean costumes. Han Arum, a Korean supermarket in Cherry Hill, is donating the meat for “bulgogi,” Korean “fire beef,” seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil. Woo Jeon Restaurant in Edison will contribute “japchae,” a favorite noodle and vegetable dish, along with “mandoo,” plump and flavorful dumplings. Kum Ho Jung Restaurant in South Brunswick is also coming up with some culinary favorites, and “Duk Jip,” a Korean confectionary store in Edison, will donate rice cakes, traditional celebratory treats.
Gimm says the best thing about the festival is its hands-on nature. “We won’t just show them the dance. We’ll explain its history and meaning and then they can try it themselves. They will enjoy the food and games, but it’s educational so they can understand something about their Korean culture and appreciate it.”
— Euna Kwon Brossman
Korean Culturefest, Princeton Korean Presbyterian Church, 500 Plainsboro Road, Plainsboro, 609-919-1344. Noon to 4 p.m.
