about

Stephanie Drenka

Stephanie KyeongSeon Drenka is a Korean adoptee writer and photographer. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, whose mission is to research, preserve, and amplify the legacy of Asian Americans in the Dallas area.

Stephanie previously served as communications director for Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation. She also founded VISIBLE Magazine, an online publication that actively privileges the work of those whose voices have been historically excluded from traditional media outlets.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from DePaul University, with minors in Asian American Studies and Women’s Studies.

Stephanie’s photography and writing have been featured in Washington Post, Huffington Post, USA Today, and Newsweek. She was a 2019-21 Public Voices Fellow and is now a Facilitator/Coach with The OpEd Project.

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Chicago Tribune – Will federal negotiations with Texan school district turn the tide for DEI?
Dallas Morning News – We need more than street signs to ‘Stop Asian Hate’ in Dallas
Newsweek – Influencer Marketing Companies Have a Moral Obligation to #StopAsianHate
Dallas Observer – ‘It Could Have Been Me’ – An Asian American Woman’s Worst Nightmare
Take the Lead – “Halmoni” Means Grandmother
Thrive Global – Singing Lessons: Coping With COVID-19 Through Music
Thrive Global – Divorce in the Time of Coronavirus
MS Magazine – Why Adoptee Citizenship Matters During the Coronavirus Pandemic
HuffPost – I’m Adopted And Pro-Choice. Stop Using My Story For The Anti-Abortion Agenda.
RoleReboot – Representation Matters For Asian Americans In Hollywood And Beyond
MS Magazine – Leveraging Influence for Impact
HuffPost – I’m Adopted, But I Won’t Be Celebrating National Adoption Month

WFAA – Nonprofit tells the often-overlooked history of Asian Americans in Dallas
AsAmNews – Korean adoptees in U.S. feel used and abandoned by the system
KERA – ‘It feels surreal’: Dallas Asian American Historical Society finds a home in the Cedars
Dallas Observer – Dallas Asian American Society Finds a New Home in the Cedars
Lake Highlands Advocate – Stephanie Drenka and the lost history of Asian Americans in Dallas
Dallas Morning News – 5 ways North Texans are combatting anti-Asian hate in the wake of COVID-19
Dallas Morning News – Protesters demand Dallas City Council approve resolution for cease-fire in Gaza
Dallas Morning News – North Texans reflect on affirmative action’s impact on their lives
Fort Worth Star Telegram – Allen mall mass shooting example of growing extremism in North Texas, community groups say
Texas Tribune – Allen mall shooting alarms Asian Americans as authorities search for gunman’s motive
KERA – Asian American community in North Texas focuses on tradition, celebrations despite violent week
Dallas Morning News– Korean American business leaders push for recognition of Koreatown in northwest Dallas
NBC DFW – Preserving Dallas’ AAPI History
NBC News – Adoptees who publicly support Roe targeted by anti-abortion activists: ‘What if you were aborted?’
Dallas Morning News – ‘The power of history’: New nonprofit seeks to preserve Asian American stories
D Magazine – Meet Stephanie Drenka, the Woman Shining a Spotlight on Local Asian American History
WFAA – 3 possible hate crimes in 1 week: What needs to be done to move forward?
The Dallas Opera – Exploring Representation in Opera
Dallas Morning News – Six to watch on the social justice front in Dallas
Dallas Morning News – DFW Korean American leaders, activists call for greater political engagement from community
Have You Heard Podcast – Confronting the Backlash
Hyperallergic – Why Do People Keep Finding Their Lives Onscreen Without Their Consent?
Reappropriate – Adoptees Call for Boycott of “Blue Bayou”
The Corporate Tea Podcast – The Misunderstanding of Anti-Asian Hate
Dallas Morning News – In the face of rising anti-Asian violence, a Dallas women’s group seeks support and empowerment
KERA – A Korean American Adoptee In Dallas Uses Her Pain As Fuel For Activism
WFAA – Cultured: Racial equity expert on the harmful stereotypes that contribute to anti-Asian violence
American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption by Gabrielle Glaser
Am I Qualified To Do This? – Episode 1: Am I Qualified to Change the Narrative
NBC DFW – Community Conversations: How to Achieve a ‘Radically Inclusive City’
The Cut – Un-Adopted: YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer shared every step of their parenting journey. Except the last.
gulp podcast – Hiccup One: How We Got Here
The Cut – The Woman Helping Her Ex Set Up Dating App Profiles
Dallas Observer – Single and Ready to … Nevermind: What It’s Like to Separate in the Middle of a Pandemic
PERSPECTIVE – Representation for Real
Dallas Observer – Adopted Dallas Writer Explains Why She’s Pro-Choice
Good Morning America – Hundreds of men show up for Dallas school’s ‘Breakfast with Dads’ event

Voyage Dallas – Hidden Gems: Meet Allison Caldwell of OutLoud
D Magazine – Six Young Female Artists Reflect on Voting for the First Time in Fair Park Exhibition
Washington Post – Breakfast With Dads
HuffPost – 19 Photos of Interracial Couples That You Wouldn’t Have Seen 51 Years Ago
Dallas Observer – Teen Artists Teach Us About Love With a Multimedia Exhibition

Inspire Award (2023), National Association for Asian American Professionals
Person of the Year Award (2023), North Texas Council of Korean Elders
Media Ally Award (2021), Texas Equal Access Fund

Our Southern Accents: How AANHPI Communities Reclaim and Reconstruct the U.S. South, Association for Asian American Studies
Keynote, NAAAP DFW Leads Conference
Origin Story: History & Healing in Adoption, Adoption Knowledge Affiliates Conference
The History of Race in Dallas: Asian Americans, Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation