The Korean American Forum of California said it is expected to coordinate a march from Saint Mary’s Square in San Francisco’s Chinatown, where the statue is located, to the City College of San Francisco. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The San Francisco Comfort Women Memorial in the city center of San Francisco will mark its first anniversary on September 22.
The Korean American Forum of California, an organization that was instrumental in having the statue erected, said it is expected to coordinate a march from Saint Mary’s Square in San Francisco’s Chinatown, where the statue is located, to the City College of San Francisco.
The march was initiated by the Comfort Women Justice Coalition (CWJC), a grassroots, multi-ethnic and multi-national group of individuals and organizations that was responsible for having the memorial built.
In addition, an open discussion regarding the issue of having comfort women be included in the curriculum at high schools in California will be held as part of the memorial tribute.
Brian Fong, a teacher in the region who recorded the history of comfort women, and producer Shang Yue Ping of the critically acclaimed film “Dai Han” will participate in the discussion.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a law in September of 2015 providing legal grounds for the construction of the Comfort Women Memorial, but two more years passed before the reveal of the memorial structure, the eigth such memorial to be constructed in a public space in the United States, and the first in a major American city.
The structure consists of three statues depicting young women from China, Korean and the Philippines holding hands in a circle with another separate statue of Kim Hak-sun looking towards the three women.
Kim is a former comfort woman who was the first in the world to take the issue public on an international level.
Created by renowned sculptor Steven Whyte, the statue is officially called “Comfort Women’s Column of Strength.”
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
