What we remember together will become our history

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Since 2014, the San Francisco Korean American History Museum has been involved in the work of uncovering, recording, and preserving the traces of our ancestors’ life in the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, and Northern and Central California. With the belief that an individual memory makes a story but collective memories make history, we are working to make our dream of SFKAHM come true.

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Korean immigration to the U.S. began 118 years ago. Our ancestors planted their seeds in the new land. The roots grew and the branches grew out of them. Enough time has passed and now we see the fruits.

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Our ancestors’ strong love for the motherland and the Korean people, their passion for the independence movement of Korea and patriotism, and their dedication to American society built the solid foundation for our community. The various historical sites in Central and Northern California are proof of their life and history.

 

On September 2, 1883, the first Korean diplomatic mission of King Kojong of Joseon Dynasty stepped onto American soil, two months after leaving Korea.

 

One of our earliest leaders, Dosan Ahn Chang-Ho (1878-1938) arrived in San Francisco in 1902. Although he did many things, he was first and foremost an educator. He taught Koreans to improve their attitude as well as their home environment. He established the Korean Friendship Association so that Korean residents could get together and help each other. He encouraged the farm-workers in Riverside by saying, “even when you pick an orange, it will become a true patriotic act if it is done with all your heart and soul.” This helped to raise the morale of the Korean workers.

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The sacred and noble traces of our ancestors’ footsteps remain in various places. It is our hope to continue to uncover, record, and preserve as much of their history as we can. At present, our ability to do so is far from adequate. This work must be done by all of us. Please help us keep and preserve our history so that it will not be lost to future generations.

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We are now putting our efforts into acquiring gallery spaces to house and exhibit the materials relating to the history of immigration and the independence movement. Like other communities such as Chinese- and Japanese-American communities, we need our own Korean-American museum. We desperately ask for your deep interest, strong participation, and generous support.

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Today’s actions will become tomorrow’s history. Please help us preserve our stories. We will make certain that SFKAHM will keep the history of our parents and grandparents alive for future generations. 
San Francisco Korean-American History Museum