The Los Angeles Riots, which took place on April 29, 1992, was a portion of the city's history that brought about much pain to the Koreatown community. The Korean American Coalition (KAC), which not only is involved in Korean American community organizing but also founded the 4.29 Dispute Resolution Center with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), has offered a scholarship contest each year based on the 4.29 Riots.
This year, the KAC will be offering a total of $3,800 worth of scholarships to 15 winners of an essay contest themed, "The 4.29 L.A. Riots: The Past & The Future."
The prompt first introduces the applicant to E. H. Carr, a renowned historian most known for his account of Soviet history. Carr said of history, "My first answer therefore to the question, 'What is History?' is that it is a continuous process of interaction between the historian and his facts, an unending dialogue between the present and the past." The applicant is then asked to assume he or she is a historian like Carr, and to "write about the L.A. Riots in 1992 with facts and resources that you choose. Identify and share your thoughts on how the Riots has shaped your present community, and on how they will shape your community in the future. Share, in your own way, your dialogue with the past."
"With this essay contest, KAC offers an opportunity for a generation of young Angelenos to earn cash scholarships while gaining deeper insight on an event in contemporary history that shaped L.A.'s communities," the contest introduction states. "This is also a chance for students to learn how their community has been shaped by their understanding of the past, and will be shaped by their participating in the future."
High school students within the Los Angeles County and college students who attend a school within the U.S. are eligible to apply, and the essays are due at 11:59 P.M. on Sunday, April 12. Essays must be between 750 to 1,000 words. Recipients of the awards are encouraged to attend an Award Reception on April 25, and those who cannot attend will only receive 50 percent of the scholarship amount.
One winner will receive $1,000, and multiple winners will be chosen for the $500, $250, and $100 scholarships.
Last year, the KAC hosted an essay contest on the theme, "The Legacy of the 3 Pioneer Korean Americans," and focused on Susan Ahn Cuddy, the first female gunnery officer in the U.S. Navy; Colonel Young-Oak Kim, a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War; and Dr. Sammy Lee, the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal for the U.S.
For more information, visit www.kacla.org.
