BY ALEXANDER HU

This post marks the first article of a series entitled “Heroes of Hues.” Inspired by the work Profiles in Courage produced by John F. Kennedy, this series will profile contemporary figures and leaders who are involved in efforts that combat racism and racial inequality. These individuals embody the courage and compassion that The Human Color stands for, and the series will serve to highlight their work and personal stories.

This month, a new dancer extraordinaire was crowned on the hit television series Dancing with the Stars, which pairs celebrities with professional dancers in a grand competition. Hines Ward, a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, emerged as the celebrity champion of the show’s twelfth season, scoring four “perfect 30″ marks along the way. Among his stalwart supporters was his dedicated mother, who sat in the live audience to support her son. Ward’s Korean mother 김영희 (Kim Young-Hee) was witnessing not only the success of her son, but also the great distance that he had come with her in surmounting a history of discrimination and prejudice.

Hines Ward was born in 1976 in Seoul, South Korea, to his aforementioned Korean mother and an African American father, Hines Ward Sr., who was stationed in Korea. Both North and South Korea have historically been among the most ethnically and culturally homogeneous countries in the world. Consequently, social attitudes toward mixed and multiracial Koreans and their parents have been predominantly negative and intolerant. Ward and his parents experienced this firsthand, and when Hines was only one year old, his mother pushed for them to move to the United States to avoid the prejudice and provide him with a life of greater opportunity and potential.

The hardship didn’t end in the States, though. Not only did Ward have to grow up without a father figure after his parents divorced, but he also endured the very racial intolerance from which his mother had sought to escape. Ward was treated as an outcast by his young peers because of his mixed background and found it hard to make friends. As Hines put it, his Black peers didn’t want to befriend him because he was Asian and his Asian peers ostracized him because he was Black. Meanwhile, his White classmates avoided him because he was Black and Asian. The outlet that would serve as Hines’s escape would be football, a dimension where he could thrive and prove his abilities regardless of color. As his classmates saw him excel on the field, the teasing went down and the respect went up.

Hines continued playing outstanding football through college with the University of Georgia Bulldogs. In 1998, the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Ward to play as their wide receiver, and he has played for the Steelers ever since. Among Ward’s achievements are being a two-time Super Bowl champion and three-time AFC Champion as well as various statistical records. He has also been named MVP of the Steelers three times and was the first Korean American to win Super Bowl MVP for his performance during Super Bowl XL.

Hines’s success in the United States caught the attention of the South Korean public and media. The country that once shunned Ward had now come to embrace and respect him. In 2006, Hines made a trip with his mother to visit South Korea for the first time since he was a mere child. He met with the South Korean President 노무현 Roh Moo-Hyun and with multiracial Korean children. He also announced the founding of the Hines Ward Helping Hands Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that fights discrimination against biracial and multiracial children. The visit was not only a tour to speak out against discrimination and share his story with Koreans, but also a deeply personal and emotional journey for Ward. As a young adult, Hines had grown resentful and ashamed of his Korean identity and heritage because of the intolerance his parents had endured in South Korea. Returning to visit South Korea and receiving respect and acceptance by its people and leaders marked a big milestone for Hines. He had finally come full circle to cherishing and appreciating the part of himself that had previously caused him so much pain and confusion.

It’s no surprise that Hines Ward has become such a popular and loved figure whether he’s running on the gridiron or dancing in the ballroom. His charismatic attitude, embodied in his ever-present smile, courage, and sheer determination has allowed him to overcome a difficult past and achieve success. Through his work with the Helping Hands Foundation and his own story of overcoming prejudice, Hines Ward serves as an important role model for multiracial youth across the globe.