Asians Around Appalachia: Sabrina Hall

I'm 1/2 Korean and the other half is a whole lot of Europe. My father was in the US Army and was stationed in South Korea where he met and married my teenage mother and brought her to the US. I was raised in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA and have lived around Appalachia - as well as a few other places.

I'm a high school tennis coach and wife of a college dean. But I don't like to take myself seriously, so I like to call myself a "stay at home mom of adult children" or a "lady who lunches".

Sabrina Hall

Interview

1. Have you ever felt out of place due to your identity? If so, where did you find a sense of community?

Yes! So much so, that feeling out of place is my actual normal state of being. I have a funny story of having this very realization...

I went to college in southeastern Ohio (yup, in Appalachia) in the mid 90s.  During this time, I visited cousins in El Paso TX (also 1/2 Korean former military kids) and we went out to the bars at UTEP one night. I will never forget the moment that I looked around and had 2 realizations at the same time: 1) there are no blondes in here and 2) everyone in here is either half Asian or half Mexican and I no longer look very special. It was one of the few times that I felt like I truly blended in to my surroundings.

By moving with my father, my mother removed herself from her Korean family; that left my mom, sister, and I as obvious minorities within my father's family. The reality of being 1/2 and raised around mostly non-Asians, is that we had to create our own sense of identity. I have been told that I'm good at code switching, and I believe this comes from always trying to find a place and people where I belong.

2. Can you tell us about one of your stories related to being an AppalAsian? (e.g. household traditions, bullying/harassment, family business, etc.) 

There are so many! From being made fun of for having slanty eyes in elementary school, comments about eating weird food, to being overly sexualized as a young Asian female. Sadly, they run the gamut from being hilarious to still hurtful. 

One of my favorite examples of the stark reality of being an AppalAsian is from my college experience. I went to school at Ohio University (rural Ohio) and it was a big school (about 20k students) with not a lot of diversity. (Not verified...might be apocryphal, but if it's wrong, it's close!)...I was 1 of 2 Asian girls in the entire greek system! That's 10 sororities with approximately 150 members each....2 Asians! (She was prettier.)

3. What is one Appalachian / Asian American related policy issue that’s important to you and why? (e.g. lack of representation, barriers to education/healthcare, economic inequality, etc.)

Honestly, I want to hear more from you all about this.  I've lived a life of accommodation and I want to know how you all want to improve our world. 

My experience as the tennis coach at Morgantown High School has given me so many gifts, but one that I never expected has been the joy in seeing everyone embrace and share their difference in ethnicities. I grew up in a time and place where we felt that we all needed to look, act, and be the same, but to witness so many young, smart, and beautiful people celebrate everyone's differences AND similarities has been amazing. The team even inspires my little Korean mother to drive from PA and bring kimchi pancakes.  :)

4. What is one piece of advice you would give to AppalAsians struggling to fit in?

Food is the universal language; I've always found people to relate to over food. (And America is loving Asian foods!)