by Avery Kim<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By 1 p.m., Linda Lee has taken her two young sons to school, gone to work in eastern Queens, and driven roundtrip to and from the Bronx to meet with a future New York City Council Member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee, who won her general election for City Council in November, made history as the first woman and person of color<\/a> to represent District 23. A public school parent and daughter of Korean immigrant small business owners, Lee ran on a Democratic platform to bring much-needed resources to eastern Queens and ensure the \u201cpseudo-suburban<\/a>\u201d district has compassionate, responsive representation in the Council. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In final weeks of her campaign, Lee spent her time meeting with future Council colleagues across the five boroughs, volunteering with local community organizations, standing in solidarity<\/a> with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance in its ultimately victorious<\/a> sit-in at City Hall, and rallying alongside prominent New York elected officials to mobilize District 23 voters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, though, she serves as President and CEO of Korean Community Services (KCS), where her role spans organizing the nonprofit to aiding its programs, operations, and government relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how other executive directors are that run nonprofits, but for me I don\u2019t mind getting my hands dirty,\u201d she says. \u201cI have become the copy machine whisperer in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n During her twelve-year tenure, Lee, who has a Master\u2019s degree in social work from Columbia University, says KCS grew significantly in funding, services, and accessibility. Elected leaders now view KCS as a go-to community partner, she says, partially due to its large Queens facility and its culturally inclusive mental health services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt took me about four years, but we\u2019re the only Korean nonprofit in New York state to have an outpatient mental health clinic,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its clinic is vital for supporting Korean New Yorkers, who often suffer in silence because of stigmas surrounding mental health \u2013 contributing to Asians being the least likely<\/a> racial group in America to seek out mental health resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee says understanding intergenerational dynamics is imperative for tending to Koreans\u2019 mental health needs, citing survival mentality as especially common among elderly Koreans; this likely stems from their traumatic experiences from the Korean War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen there was a train that was leaving Korea during the war, you had people fighting each other and elbowing each other because they were trying to grab onto that train to get out,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Second generation Korean Americans are more open to talking about their mental health, she says, but still have reservations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee, whose parents immigrated to America in 1973 and is second generation herself, says her experiences at KCS make her a better advocate for marginalized New Yorkers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She says, \u201cIt\u2019s given me a very eye-opening experience to even how at the city-level a lot of policies are not thoroughly targeted for our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With her historic win, Lee will be among the first two Koreans in City Council (alongside District 26 Democratic nominee Julie Won).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s exciting for sure, but it\u2019s definitely a lot of pressure,\u201d Lee says when asked about the prospect of making history and being a role model weeks before becoming the Council Member-elect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As it is, her candidacy is already inspiring and unifying New York\u2019s Asian diaspora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve been meeting with a ton of South Asian community leaders because that\u2019s one of the highest minority groups in my district,\u201d says Lee. \u201cThey\u2019ve all been saying to me, \u2018Even though you\u2019re not exactly our kind of Asian, you\u2019re still Asian.\u2019 They\u2019re excited that for the first time they have someone who understands the issues of immigrant communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the election results came in, Lee told City & State<\/a>, \u201cHopefully, we can show our kids [that] we may be still among the firsts, but hopefully by the time my sons grow up, [it] will become normal [that] they’ll actually see more Asian Americans in public service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given her constituents\u2019 needs and current citywide issues, City Council Member-elect Lee has expressed interest<\/a> in the Aging, Mental Health, Education, and Parks Committees of the Council.<\/p>\n