The Hines Ward tour continued in Korea with Ward visiting the Pearl S. Buck International Foundation which is an organization dedicated to helping mixed race children. Noticably absent was all the hanger ons like President Roh who wanted their photo op with Hines Ward but wouldn’t be caught dead getting a photo op with these children.
Hines Ward’s mom Kim Young-hee had some strong words at the meeting:
Across from her sat two fellow mothers of mixed-race children, the mother of Arum, 30-year-old An Jin-hee, and the mother of Yujin, Bae Seon-ju (45). While Kim¿s Super Bowl star son, who is half African American, was posing for pictures and hugging the children, Kim’s lips remained tightly sealed.
An told Kim there was much she wanted to talk to her about. ¿If I had the opportunity to get out of Korea right now, I would do it without a moment’s hesitation,¿ An said. Kim silently held her hand. Then she said, “Yes, that is what you should do. I always used to think that too.”
When she had composed herself, Kim said she had spent 30 years ¿without looking at Koreans and without thinking about them. What do you think would have become of us if I had kept living here with Hines? He would probably never have been able to be anything but a beggar. Do you think I would even have been able to get work cleaning houses?¿
She is absolutely right and she even had more to say:
Kim said this was the way Koreans are. ¿Even in America, Korean’s don’t get along. Koreans who immigrated ignored us. Koreans of the same skin color are even more racist among themselves. It doesn’t make sense. If everybody hates our children so much because their skin is a different color, then why do Koreans run around dying their hair blond and red?
Kim noted the contrast between her difficult early years in the U.S., when no one wanted to help, and the sudden interest sparked by Hines Ward¿s success. ¿It’s hard, but that’s just the way it goes,” she said. “But I have no regrets.”
She left by doing something very nice:
As Kim was leaving the foundation, Jang Ye-eun (19), a girl who said she hoped to become a basketball star, bowed to her and said goodbye. Kim impulsively opened her wallet, took out a bill and put it in Jang’s pocket. It was US$100. “It’s Hines¿ mother giving you this, so it¿s fine. You go and buy books for school. And you make up your mind right now that you absolutely must succeed. You can do it,” she said, and left.
Kim gave more money to help that girl than probably anyone in Korea ever gave to help her when she had her son. Maybe Hines Ward is not the one to change perceptions in Korea after all. Maybe it will be his mom instead. I think her outspokeness may possibly do more than Hines Ward’s fame, to really get people in Korea to change their perceptions of mixed race children.
Robert over at the Marmot’s Hole of course has great coverage of this as well to check out.
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