Contributions and Distinctions
Elaine Kim was the first Asian woman to earn tenure at UC Berkeley and helped found the Ethnic Studies Department and the Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies program. She held multiple leadership roles at Berkeley, including serving as assistant dean in the College of Letters & Science, wrote ten books, directed three documentaries, and served as president of the Association for Asian American Studies and on the National Council of the American Studies Association. She co-founded several community organizations supporting Asian American women and immigrants. Her work earned multiple awards (Global Korea Award, Asian Pacific American Heritage Lifetime Achievement Award, etc), for her contributions to education and the Asian American community.
Biographical Sketch
Elaine Kim (1942–2023) was born in South Korea and came to the U.S. to attend the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley in 1971 and joined the faculty soon after. In 1969, she participated in the Third World Liberation Front protests, advocating for recognition of communities of color. She lived by the motto, “If something you want does not exist, you can try to create it,” helping build programs that continue to support ethnic studies and Asian American studies today.
Links to other Sources
- Kim recieves two honorary degrees
- Blurb on Kim reckoning with race
- Biography on Council of Korean Americans webpage