#OurPatriotism: Korean & Black American, Blasian Onjena Yo
The #OurPatriotism project highlights community members exploring the meaning of patriotism. Our first profile is of co-founder of Village Values, Onjena Yo.
Korean & Black American, Blasian: Onjena Yo
My hat says “Dae jang” which means “leader.” It took me over 40 years to learn how to read this hat. If you know the shame that comes with not learning one’s mother tongue, you understand a little of what it was like for me to grow up as a Blasian in the United States of America.
My Heritage
*Includes countries/regions from my ancestry (DNA) profile.
#OurPatriotism Profile
I. Where Are You From?
BORN: Texas, United States
RAISED: Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, United States
VISITED: South Korea, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan
IDENTIFY AS: Black, Korean American, Blasian
MISTAKEN AS: Hawaiian, Filipino, Latina (Dominican), Samoan
LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: English, Learning Spanish & Korean
II. What are your faves?
FOOD:
Comfort: Seaweed Soup (miyeokguk) (미역국) (Korean) and kim chi (김치) (kimchi)
Celebration: Kalbi (갈비) (marinated beef short ribs) (Korean), Bacalao (Cape Verde), sushi, spring roll (Vietnamese) with my Mom’s special spicy pineapple sauce (the kind of spicy where one is advised against eating the peppers)
Convenience: Ramen/ramyun (라면) (Korean) with eggs OR rice mixed with butter and soy sauce, dried seaweed and kim chi
Fusion: Korean-Mexican tacos
MUSIC: Motown catalog, trip hop, currently listening to Leon Bridges, Brittany Howard and Leela James on repeat
MOVIE: Movies by Bong Joon-Ho and Hayao Miyazaki, Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,’ Danny Boyle’s “Sunshine,” Kevin Macdonald’s “Touching the Void”
TV SHOW: Abbott Elementary, The Eddy,
Call the Midwife, Queen Sono, Alchemy of Souls, Superstore, Brooklyn 99, Bluey, Star Trek (most series), Prime SuspectBOOK: Toni Morrison's “A Mercy,” Gabriel García Márquez's “100 Years of Solitude,” George Dawson’s “Life is So Good”, Mo Willem’s Elephant & Piggie series
SPORTS TEAM: Pittsburgh Steelers, reluctant New York Knicks fan, new fan of WNBA, permanent fan of Dawn Staley and her protégés
BOARD/CARD/VIDEO GAME: Many of the LEGO video games (e.g., LEGO Movie, Jurassic Park, Avengers, Harry Potter, Super Villains, etc.)
HOLIDAY: Christmas (We have a Christmas tree that we converted to a “holiday tree” that has become a socially acceptable all-year-round Christmas tree.)
FLOWER: Calla lily, orchid, climbing roses, sunflower
ANIMAL: Dogs, hippos, all types of bears
HISTORICAL FIGURE: Harry Belafonte
SUPERHERO: Defendor aka Arthur Poppington
TRAVEL DESTINATION: Too many to list. One source would be my ancestry profile, initially alternating between east Asia and west Africa, then Europe
III. Share a cherished tradition, fable or advice.
One of my favorite stories is a version of “The Scorpion and the Frog” fable where an “old woman” tries to save a scorpion from drowning despite being stung repeatedly. When she’s chastised by an onlooker for stubbornly trying to save something that clearly does not want to be saved, she responds, “Why should I let the nature of the scorpion change that of my own?”
IV. Share a funny misunderstanding or dispel/explain a stereotype.
As I was about to return from Tokyo, Japan, I encouraged my colleagues to visit me in the U.S., to which one co-worker replied, “No. Bang! Bang!” In the moment, I tried to reassure him that it would be safe to visit. It took me months (years?) of mass shootings, school shootings and police shootings to realize that he had every reason to be nervous about gun violence in the U.S., especially in comparison to Japan.
V. Share an experience of being excluded or unwelcome or of culture shock (personal or witnessed) and what you learned.
My first concert was New Kids on the Block (NKOTB). I felt immense pressure from my peers, particularly my Girl Scout troop, to “stan” the boys of NKOTB. At the concert, as a reluctant guest, I sat in my seat the entire time, enduring glares from my fellow scouts who were unhappy with my lack of enthusiasm. Years later, I was relieved (?) to learn that my favorite NKOTB song was a remake of a song by The Delfonics (“Didn’t I Blow Your Mind”), which unironically, blew my mind. My lesson? Stay true to yourself even if your inner voice shakes (paraphrasing).
Also, living in New York as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan is a closely guarded secret. Occasionally, I have revealed myself whenever I spotted Steelers gear out in the wild.
VI. Share the kindest thing someone has done for you.
Someone very special has lovingly cooked multiple mouth-watering and healthy meals for my family on a daily basis for YEARS.
VII. What are you most proud of (personally and/or collectively)?
The Korean concept of “haan” describes the sorrow and resilience of people who have endured oppression… For me, this describes both my Korean and Black heritage. Koohan Paik-Mander defines “haan” [“as “irreparable sorrow.” Others have called it “a mixture of sorrow and resentment, but with tinges of hope within the sadness and anger.” A more accurate definition might be achieved by describing how Han expresses itself—through storytelling, song, poetry, prayer. It is the language of humanity.”] To me, haan is about continuing to build a better world despite being worn down and out… seeking to create and heal… through art or our daily interactions with each other. Fighting for the most vulnerable. That makes me proud.
And Kim Chi… As a dish that can be eaten with every meal or on its own, I think it takes elite status as a superfood, nutritionally, and culturally. For the record, I am #TeamSour. IFKYK.
VIII. What do you miss most about “home”? What is the first thing you do when you return home?
Home is wherever my family is. Home is where I can really sleep and eat! The first thing I do when I get home is take off my shoes.. then play with my dogs.
IX. How can the community support you? Where can they find you online?
Share our art with those seeking to discover community. Share your stories through our slam books (#OurPatriotism, #VillageValues, #WallofPretty).
I am on Twitter/X (@village_values) and Instagram (@village_values) and TikTok (@village.values).
X. “Beyond symbolism and celebration, #OurPatriotism means solidarity.” What does patriotism mean to you?
In my experience, some strains of “patriotism” dominate more than others… There is one that is exclusive and elitist and arrogant… and another that is based on a quieter dynamic of accomplishment and fulfillment. For some, it’s a test of who “belongs” and as someone who grew up as a Blasian (Black/Asian)/Korean American in the United States, it was always a source of conflict for me. When it came time for the Olympics, I knew to be quieter about rooting for one country over another.
In recent events, countries that have sought to protect the most vulnerable make my heart swell with pride… South Africa, Ireland, Yemen and Nicaragua to name a few.
It’s been an interesting journey wading into the “patriotic” space with our Multinational Patriot design series. Assumptions have been made about being a “sell-out“ whenever I displayed a design featuring the U.S. flag. We are not our governments. I refuse to “punish” people for the policies of their government leaders. I refuse to refrain from criticizing our governments, at home or abroad. I refuse to cede the patriotic space to those who seek to exclude and hope to shift the focus to rediscovering our shared humanity and building lasting solidarity. I ask anyone contributing to the #OurPatriotism dialogue, to not seek to agree with each other, but to try to understand each other. As filmmaker Ken Burns shared in a recent commencement address, “There is no other. There is only us.”
*Is there anything else you would like to share?
A baby’s first words across the world include: mama, dada, hi, bye bye, no, yes, dog, cat, ball, milk, more and up.
“Up” translated into the top ten spoken languages in the world:
Shàng (上) [Mandarin]
Oopar (ऊपर) [Hindi]
Arriba [Spanish]
En haut [French]
Aelaa (أعلى) [Arabic]
Upor (উপর ) [Bengali]
Cima [Portuguese]
Vverkh (Вверх) [Russian]
Oopar (اوپر) [Urdu]
Juu [Swahili]
Now we know how to say “up?” to over half of the babies in our world. #OurBabies #VillageValues
Nominate a Patriot
I nominate my sisters, Miss TJ and KiKi Wilkes!
Thank you [Xièxiè (谢谢), Dhanyavaad (धन्यवाद), Gracias, Merci, Shkran lak (شكرًا لك), Dhan'yabāda (ধন্যবাদ), Obrigado, Spasibo (Спасибо), Shukriya (شکریہ), Asante) for reading! #OurWorldOurHeart #VillageValues
