KCCoC hosted an opening reception on Saturday, June 14 in BISCO Hall. The event featured a special lecture by Professor Edward T. Chang on “The History and Significance of Pachappa Camp.” This exhibition served as a valuable platform for cultural exchange, not only within the Korean American community but also with the broader American public, by highlighting the history and contributions of early Korean immigrants.

In his book Pachappa Camp: The First Korean Town in the United States, Professor Edward T. Chang explains, “This was a political and cultural base where Dosan Ahn Chang Ho prepared for the early Korean independence movement, and it represents a symbolic starting point of the Korean American community in the United States.” In 2017, the City of Riverside officially designated Pachappa Camp as a Cultural Heritage Landmark, and installed a commemorative plaque at the site describing it as “a historic shantytown formed by about 100 Koreans who built 20 homes.”