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Shortly after their move to Clinton, the Kims became members of the Korean Catholic Church in Boston. Here they made many friends, and were able to start their own Korean community in the Greater Boston area. The Clinton house became a popular place for large get togethers; one could always expect an abundance of great food and a disco ball with karaoke in the basement.
Ed did lots of work to help other Asian families in the area get settled, often acting as a translator and a friend to those who needed assistance.
"Grandpa took a lot of pride in his work [...] He worked really really hard"
By the 1980's, Ed wanted to get out of the laundry business. He sold his laundromat and became the owner of a 7/11 back in Clinton. This became the family business as the kids got older and were able to work there.
Yuchun & the kids
Yuchun & the kids
Growing up in a family with an aristocratic history, Yuchun was proud and rooted in Korean tradition. She later passed these traditions on to her kids and grandchildren.
After moving to the US and working in the plastic molding industry for a while, she left to work with circuit boards. During her many years in the United States, she has maintained her Korean culture through her cooking and traditions, Yuchun has also kept the Korean language alive within the family as she knows very limited English.
The three oldest Kim children remember their life in Korea; however, the youngest child was only one year old when the family had moved. This led Kwang-chin, the youngest Kwang, to know the least Korean and also not feel nearly as connected to his Korean heritage.
New Beginnings
New Beginnings
After settling into working at the 7/11 full time, his children chipped in and also worked there during their freetime. Despite all of the children being fluent in English, they faced racism and microaggressions daily.
After Ed and Yuchun retired, Sonny Kim and Kwang O. Kim moved back in with their parents. After decades, they decided to start fresh in Billerica, MA, where Sonny raised her adopted daughters/biological nieces with the help of Yuchun and the rest of the family.
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