Domestic violence and feminism are often labeled as taboo topics, but Mimi Kim brought these issues and more to light for students and community members.
Kim, an assistant professor of social work at California State University, Long Beach, spoke Wednesday night to an audience of 43 people. Her lecture focused on the U’s campus and how sexual assaults are often blamed on the victims.
Irene Oto, the academic program manager and advising coordinator for the College of Social Work, was excited when the U’s Voices of Diversity club invited Kim to speak on campus.
“She provided a new way to look at domestic violence — not everything is black and white and on a binary system,” Oto said. “She speaks toward different identities, individuals in communities and the communities themselves and how to address the issues in ways that don’t cause more violence.”
Kim discussed her research on the different historical issues surrounding gender violence and her findings on the recent anti-domestic violence movement.
“I like speaking with students who are curious and have good questions,” she said. “All of the students here wanted to get to know different areas of feminism. And I could tell that a lot of students were finding resonation with a variety of topics.”
Kim encouraged those in attendance to learn more about sexual violence by attending more forums. She hopes students will learn from what others have to say, including her own talk.
“I want to be the professor that I never had,” she said. “I was a student, and I want to think about the questions I have and answer them for those around me.”
@JulianneSkrivan