Members at the #BKA14 conference
About
Boston Korean Adoptees (BKA) is a community of adult adoptees living in New England. We host cultural and educational events that focus on issues related to transracial adoption and the adoptee experience.
Our events are open to Korean and transracial adoptees, decendants of Korean adoptees, as well as friends and families of the adoptee community. Throughout the year, we host discussion groups, events celebrating Korean holidays, summer picnics, museum outings, research seminars, and other social events.
We also support the art, writing, music, research, and other artistic creations of those in the adoptee community.
We believe in social justice and the power of the individual to effect change for themselves and their community.
And most of all, we like any opportunity to feast together — a time to learn, to share stories, and break bread.
History
In 1998, after someone posted a message online, 12 Korean adoptees met at a local Italian restaurant to connect and socialize. As a result, Boston Korean Adoptees (BKA) was created. Soon after that first meeting, BKA began hosting dinners, meet and greents, and other social events. As BKA built momentum, we were asked to speak on panels at conferences, participate in cultural camps, and attend other events.
In 2003, BKA incorporated as a 501(c)3 organization, based in Massachusetts. It was an exciting time! The Big Dig was underway, a massive blizzard rocked the Northeast, and the Red Sox had made the playoffs!
As our capacity grew, so did our community and our programming. We committed to hosting quarterly events. We cosponsored a film festival with the University of Massachusetts Boston. We offered cooking classes with Anne Choi, which were a great hit. And wewe hosted film screenings, poetry readings, book clubs, and volunteered at local events. And in 2014, BKA celebrated its 10 year anniversary by hosting an Anniversary Conference, #BKA14, at the OMNI Parker House Hotel.
Since then, we have continued to host our quarterly events, including our annual Seollal (Korean Lunar New Year), Summer BBQ, Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving, and year-end event. We continue to have casual get-togethers each month, cooking and other cultural classes, along with new ideas as new members come on board. We have also added a research program, that supports early-stage and senior researchers who are studying topics relevant to our community.