Hines Ward

The sudden fame and celebrity Hines Ward is now finding in South Korea intrigues and encourages me.

All my life I have heard of the horror stories of children who are born of American and Korean blood. Particularly those (like myself) who have Black fathers. One of the few things I remember about my parents splitting up was that both felt my life would be better if I stayed with my African-American father. For a 7-year old who would never see his mother again, that provided little comfort. As an adult, I am thankful for what came out of my parents' decision: A new family with a new mother who loves me and gave me six amazing siblings.

Seeing Ward embraced as a national hero is actually consistent with my limited interactions with Korean people. I did not know any other Korean people growing up, but met some as an adult. Their reactions to me have been positive. I worked with a couple Korean women who consistently encouraged me to not lose connection with that side of my ancestry. One even taught me how to write my name in Korean, which is now tattooed on my left arm.

Ward, a player whose background I knew nothing about until recently, has suddenly become someone of intense interest for me. As small details of his life and the struggles of his mom are reported, it is quite inspiring to watch Korea react and embrace him. For a country that has suffered immensely (including a very bloody war), it is good to see Ward as a symbol who is bringing people together. Hopefully, his fame will shower down on those who are still there and have suffered the fate that I was (thankfully) spared.