November 22, 2009
UTNE READER

Birth of a Maven

(Page 4 of 4)

September/October 1999 Issue
By Andy Steiner, Utne Reader 
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"We're on the verge of a national, collective mixed-race consciousness," Kelley wrote in Mavin's Spring/Summer 1999 issue. "It finally seems like recognizing and identifying with our mixed-ness is legitimate in the eyes of greater society."

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It's not clear whether Jin Hyang Lee sees her grandson as such a change agent. During dinner, she proudly pulls out a worn copy of an article about Mavin that appeared in the local newspaper. It's written in English, so she can't read it, Kelley explains, but she still took it to church to show her friends. When the local Korean paper published a story about him written in Korean, she was bursting with pride, Kelley says, and showed it to everybody she knew.

Before we leave, Lee takes a carefully wrapped package of homemade bean-paste cakes and presses it on her visitor.

"She wants you to take this," Kelley explains, interpreting his grandmother's gestures and heavily accented English. "So you'll remember the meal. It's a gift."

Just like Mavin, maybe.

Andy Steiner is associate editor of Utne Reader. Intern Sara Rubinstein provided research assistance on this article. For more information on Mavin, write to 805 Cherry St., Suite 311, Seattle, WA 98104, or visit www.mavin.net

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