2019-11-01 Time flies when you're at TNKR

Sometimes people say, "I can't believe it is already Friday!" Or they'll mention the month, "I can't believe it is already November!"

In my case, I can't believe it is already 2019! What happened to 1999, wasn't that just a few years ago?

As fast as time seems to go, it is even faster at TNKR. We had so many meetings today that when I was referring to our first meetings today, I was talking about it like it was on Tuesday, not this morning (Friday).

TNKR Matching Challenge from an American fan

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Individual Education Plan (IEP)

We had four interviews with North Korean refugees who want to join TNKR. We accepted three of them, but told one refugee that we weren't sure he was ready.

The other three are quite enthusiastic and have a good idea what they want to study. The other young man, unfortunately, isn't really sure why he should study English. Others have encouraged him, but he isn't sure why he needs English. We encouraged him to study elsewhere first, then to return to us in about three months. We have done this a few times as we have raised our standards. Each student has returned to us later after experiencing more of South Korea, more focused, and prepared to study with volunteer tutors.

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YouTuber Eunhee!

Eunhee Park stopped by the office to talk about her YouTube channel. Please SUBSCRIBE! She has added almost 50 subscribers the last few days, we hope she can get to 1,000.

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Save the date! Send his father home

December 11 will be the 50th anniversary of a North Korean agent hijacking an airplane to North Korea. This year on December 8, Hwang In-Cheol will be going to Imjingak (near the DMZ) to mark the anniversary and to call on North Korea to return his father to South Korea. TNKR will be there with him, and we hope you will join us. TNKR volunteer Jennifer Bowman, who joined last night's meeting despite a serious leg injury, vowed to join us on the trip to Imjingak.

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TNKR high school club

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Open House

I led an orientation with international students who are interested in volunteering with TNKR. Thanks to Sandra Durnick for organizing it, and other things, for TNKR!

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Dropping in

NK refugee author Lee Juseong dropped by to discuss the latest book he has written and hopes to publish.

Hyunmoo recently joined TNKR, he dropped by TNKR to give a great report about tutoring.

David Lee is visiting from the USA, he dropped by to say hello!

He wrote on Facebook: " it was an honor and pleasure to meet you and Ms. Eunkoo Lee. Hope to see you again! Keep up the great work!
🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️"

Mr. Choi has made several videos for TNKR has aspirations to make a movie that will hit the mainstream. He promises if he makes a lot of money with it that he will donate a lot to TNKR.

TNKR scenes
9th speech contest
10th speech contest

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So surprised!

She follows North Korean refugee issues, she even shows Yeonmi Park's videos to her graduate students. But she had no idea that I was deeply engaged with North Korean refugees.

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What's next?

That was in the last few days--did I forget anything? So much going on. But it seems that most of the time, we are still having fun, and headed in the right direction!

TNKR Matching Challenge from an American fan

Get rid of that watermelon!

Part 1: When I was a youngster I used to collect Confederate money, posters and photographs with caricatures of blacks, and "No blacks allowed signs." I loved the money because it was a reminder of how far the sorry Confederacy had fallen. I had one poster of a dark-skinned black boy munching on a watermelon. I would look at that small poster and wonder, "What in the world is wrong with anyone wanting to eat watermelon?" Yes, white people, I'm talking to you. Your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors who thought making fun of blacks for eating watermelon were crazy ! Even people who say that nothing has changed in race relations must acknowledge that the many stereotypes of blacks are no longer prevalent. But then, there are also some ready to remind us of days-gone-by by debunking stuff that doesn't need to be debunked today. According to the Washington Post: The sound you just heard was yet another racial stereotype going kersplat ! Some ...

Scam? Yo Momma!

Note: This was originally posted shortly after Jesse Lee Peterson's book was published, reposted in 2005, and now because of a fight between black customers and a Korean merchant in Dallas, Texas. Scam? Yo Momma! During the summer of 2002 I was an observer to a dispute between the Asian owners of a Chinese takeout and some of their black customers in Washington, D.C. The month-long boycott began when a local activist accused a cook at a Chinese takeout of attempting to cook a piece of chicken he had allegedly dropped on the floor. Despite the best efforts of human rights activist Dick Gregory, popular talk-show host Joe Madison, and Rev. Walter Fauntroy, the protestors were unable to coax any media to report on the protest. On some days there were, by my unofficial count, as many as 100 people chanting songs and marching. But one key person was missing: Rev. Jesse Jackson. It was important to the foot soldiers at the boycott that someone from the media report on...

From nothing to something super special (2023-02-10)

FSI has moved into a better institutional neighborhood where we are the poorest in the area. In August 2022, I was elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Freedom Speakers International (FSI) and in January 2023 FSI achieved incorporation status in South Korea. This has meant that FSI must upgrade operations and structure and I am the one, as chairman and co-president, who will be blamed if it doesn’t happen. I really should not be the chairman, for a variety of reasons, but anyway I am. Eunkoo and I are not the typical executives of a growing organization. In addition to being mainly responsible for building and fundraising for the organization, we are the hands-on leaders who are constantly in contact with North Korean refugee speakers. We look forward to the day we can afford staff to handle many tasks. Until then we can expect to continue having more days like yesterday, even on Eunkoo’s birthday. 2023-02-10 Meeting #1: planning We started Eunkoo’s birthday with a planning...

Park Jin welcoming remarks to FSI (and Casey Lartigue)

National Assembly member Park Jin makes the welcoming remarks at FSI's conference featuring North Korean diplomats. Park Jin | Greeting message to FSI and Casey Lartigue mention - YouTube

Korea Times bloggers' night (2018-12-12)

There are some well-known media outlets in this world that occasionally stumble upon Freedom Speakers International (FSI). But they usually pick themselves up and carry on as if nothing had happened. They sometimes quote or mention us after we help with a story but more likely they don't (especially NPR and the New York Times). The most important media outlet in the world for Freedom Speakers International: The Korea Times. They occasionally write stories about our work. I have a monthly column and a regular blog there. Here's my blog at the Korea Times, "Voices from the North." http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/sublist_728.html And my monthly column. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/sublist_626.html Instead of the Korea Times stumbling across us from time to time, I get regular reminders from editors reminding me to send in my column and blog. I know that many of the people following FSI are clicking around the internet and following many organizati...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

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