January 26, 2017
“AHN CHANG HO”
by Joseph Lee
One of the key Korean moral and philosophical leaders of the early 20th century Ahn, also known by his pen name Dosan, came to the United States in 1902 seeking better education opportunities. During his years in the U.S. he is credited with founding the first group exclusively for Koreans, and then in 1905 establishing the Mutual Assistance Society—the first Korean political organization in the U.S. Upon returning to Asia in 1926 Ahn spent the rest of his years fighting Japanese imperialism and died in 1938 after suffering torture during one of several arrests. In recent years "Dosan's" contributions have been commemorated in Korea and across the U.S. and in 2016 Joseph Lee, deeply moved by his story, added this memorial on Vermont Ave. in Los Angeles. Lee says he had the pleasure of meeting Ahn's grandson and going through personal possessions where he found this photo taken as Ahn was imprisoned, just four month prior to his death. @joeyunlee @scenesfromthesidewalk
