ISSUE NO. 3: New York Seoul | Min Jin Lee and Yu Gwan-sun
"Yu Gwan-sun is O.G."
ARCHIVIST’S NOTE
“One thing that struck me in my study of history is how people are excluded. I don't mean just racial minorities or women. Pretty much all poor people who don't have documents are excluded from history and its records. People who were illiterate usually didn't leave any primary documents.” —Min Jin Lee 이민진, CBC Radio interview, Oct. 29, 2017
Dear readers,
I hope this latest and last archive edition of 2024 finds you well. I’ve been continuing to fundraise to open up the physical space in Brooklyn sooner than later. As the end of the year has arrived, subscriptions have come to an almost standstill. I need 217 more annual subscriptions to meet my very realistic and modest goal (for the undertaking). That is just 0.85% of our Instagram followers! Under 1% seems totally attainable but it’s a steep climb. Contrary to the f-u-n in fundraising, it is infinitely far from it. I am so grateful to all of our subscribers. Finally feeling a bit more anchored as a (future) physical entity, rather than existing solely as a digital manifestation.
Issue No. 3 features two singular women: Yu Gwan-sun and Min Jin Lee. I think about Min’s words (above) often as I continue to build the archive. There is a sensitivity to this work—there is brute force (the computer science maneuver—not the violent kind) as I draw out pieces of information and ephemera, testing out all possible solutions until I come upon a correct answer. A name. It takes time. Archiving is slow and compassionate. From marginalized to mainstream; from anonymous to announced—ultimately, named.
Thank you for building with me. See you in 2025!
♡
Doris