The President’s Note
Dear Korean American Communication Association (KACA) members,
I hope this email finds you safe and well. It is hard to believe that this is now the third spring of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the beginning, the pandemic has tested our resilience and adaptability in many ways. We have taken steps to control the virus by wearing masks, getting vaccinated, and maintaining social distance. In academia, we have continued with our research and dealt with the transition to online learning as best as we can. We have also fought against anti-Asian racism by holding forums, giving lectures, and conducting research on the matter.
Now we seem to be emerging out of the crisis and returning to normalcy. COVID-19 cases have fallen and, as a result, mask mandate policies have been dropped. Once more I can see the faces of my students and colleagues in full. What a joyous moment! However, the post-COVID situation presents challenges as well as hopes. The virus has claimed far too many lives and its variants are still evolving. Horrific hate crimes against Asians continue to be reported in the local and national media. Outside the country, we see a virulently nationalist Russia invading Ukraine.
What do these events tell us? They tell me that our lives are both deeply connected and vulnerable. It is terrible to experience suffering and to witness the suffering of others. I am not saying we are weak – if anything, the events of recent years prove that we are strong. Yet it is clear to me that we need one another more than ever before.
This means supporting our communities, including the KACA. If you are a well-established scholar and feel there is no more for you to gain from the KACA, you can renew your membership to give back to the community. If you thrive in a teaching institution as an educator, you can be a role model to junior KACA members, helping to inspire the next generation. If you are a junior professor and feel there is no one to give you career advice, you can renew your membership and find a support group among other KACA members. If you are a student and feel you have nothing to showcase to the community yet, please come forward and join us. The KACA will empower you to be the best version of yourself and to become an exemplary scholar and educator in the future.
I want to be candid about the membership status of our organization. We have more than 500 email subscribers. However, the size of our annual paid membership is much smaller than that. For the KACA, membership means more than financial stability. It means a commitment to support each other, and therefore represents collective power and the strength of our hearts. Every one of you matters to the KACA. We want to be a community that you are proud of. Renew your membership and encourage others to join the KACA at: http://www.thekaca.org/membership/.
Our officials work diligently to offer our members as many opportunities as possible through our regular business and special programs. Regarding our regular business this year, the ICA conference, with a new hybrid format, is coming up in Paris, France. The preparations of the AEJMC and the NCA teams are also on track (check out the newsletter for more details). In terms of our special programs, KACA-KOFICE research grants were offered to three of our members in December last year, and we are preparing a David Tae Yong Cho Memorial Scholarship for KACA student members (we will make a special announcement with the details). The KJC editor Dr. Do Kyun Kim has submitted its proposals to publishers and we are waiting for its reviews. All of these programs would not have been possible without the participation and support of every KACA member.
Very sadly, two former presidents of the KACA, Dr. Jaewon Lee and Dr. Gwang-Jub Han, recently passed away. Dr. Jaewon Lee, a two-time president and founding father of the KACA, left us on March 8th. He showed his love of the KACA community not only through his service but also through his generous financial support. The KACA established the Jaewon Lee Distinguished Service Awards in 2020 to honor his legacy to the community. In late February, we lost Dr. Gwang-Jub Han, who served the KACA as president from 1997 to 2000 and as an officer for several years before then. We mourn these leaders of the KACA, who built an extensive and vibrant community out of an originally small group of Korean-American communication scholars. Their legacy will live on and continue to inspire our members. Why not follow in their footsteps and become a part of the KACA today? There has never been a better time to join our community.
Thank you.
Jin-Ae Kang, Ph.D.
President (2021-2023)
