Vida Marie Misook Adams (@moonlightshadeaux) was born in 1977 in Los Angeles, California, to a Korean mother and a Black father. An only child, she grew up in Koreatown before moving to Canoga Park in the Valley. As a Korean American of mixed heritage, she recalls how she often felt as though her maternal relatives were not as accepting of her, an unspoken racism which was realized in her exclusion from birthday parties and family photos. Yet at the same time, Vida has maintained a strong and profoundly intimate connection with Koreatown, the neighborhood she calls home and where she attributes the happiest days of her life to. Out of every place she’s ever been, she shares how it was in Koreatown that she felt like she “had the right to belong,” taking pride in the community’s history, and expressing an acute sadness at the fact that it has changed so much since her childhood.Special thanks to the Koreatown Storytelling Program (www.koreatownstorytellingprogram.org) and the Koreatown Youth and Community Center (@kyccla ) of LA for hosting this Legacy Project recording #koreatownstorytellingprogram #kycclaCREDITSInterviewer: Dilan Askew, Nathalie De Mata and Isleen LeeEditor: Cedric Stout @cedricstout.officialVideographer: Kimberly Young Sun @kimberlyyoungsun and Minye Cho @chominyeAudio: Celine Son @clnsnProduction Manager: Kimberly Young SunMotion Designer: Aj Valente https://ajyval.myportfolio.comMusic Composer: Jang Hyeong YoonExecutive Producer: HJ LeeKoreanAmericanStory.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to create and preserve the stories of the Korean American experience. | KoreanAmericanStory.org