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As far as football players go, Hines Ward was never the biggest, the tallest, or the fastest. Yet, for 14 years, Ward was a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, eventually becoming the longest tenured player on the team. For Ward, 37, the journey toward his own leadership and success extends far beyond proving himself on the football field. His challenges surpassed exceeding expectations as an initial NFL third-round draft pick and being told that he was five inches too short. Ward additionally faced societal and identity-related challenges in being biracial; with Korean roots and an upbringing in the American South, Ward never had an easy assimilatory path as a minority. “Underdog stories inspire me,” said Ward. “Stories about overcoming adversity and hardship, stories that I, personally, can identify with.” A True Steeler Hines Edward Ward Jr. was born in 1976 in Seoul, South Korea to Korean mother Kim Young He, and African American father Hines Ward Sr. As a child, Korea seemed an abstract and dissonant place. After moving to the United States, Ward grew up in the South, living with his paternal grandmother in Atlanta until he was reunited with his mother seven years later. Ward’s parents divorced when he was two. Ward harbored feelings of anger at his father’s absence and felt ashamed of his mother’s presence as he tried to reconcile the cultural dissonance of growing up with dark skin and a Korean mother. The world trapped Hines in a limited space and resulted in feelings of not fitting in. He was confused and confined by binaries, enduring racially charged taunting on the playground due to the way he looked. “As a biracial child, I never quite fit into any category of people. White folks didn’t accept me because I was black. Black folks didn’t accept me because I was Korean. And Korean people didn’t accept me because I was mixed. So I really didn’t know where I belonged,” Hines reflected about his childhood during his NAAAP 100 acceptance speech. Sports became Ward’s salvation — solace from living on the margins and drifting between the many communities that produced feelings of alienation due to his race. The football field was a place where he belonged. Ward’s passion and talent for sports was what finally linked him to his peers, and through excelling in athletics, he found fulfillment. “My love and ability for sport was the only common link with other kids my age,” said Ward. “I excelled at all sports and tried to prove my worth to others with my athletic ability.” His career the NFL started off slowly. After injuries earlier in his career, he had no anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee, and teams passed him in first and second round draft picks. When the Steelers finally took him in near the bottom of the third round, they had no confidence in Hines’ ability to perform; he didn’t match the prototypical image of wide receivers. However, he succeeded beyond the statistical odds. Ward became an all-time touchdown receptions leader and an all-time receiving yardage leader. Ward additionally won two Super Bowl championships and four Pro Bowl selections. In 2006, he received the Super Bowl XL MVP award. He retired in March 2012. “As a child, you dream of that day, and there are only a handful of players who can say that they’ve won a Super Bowl MVP. I am most proud of that accomplishment,” Ward said. His talents translated to several different stages: He took home the Mirror Ball in Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars after covering some major yardage on the dance floor. He also made an iconic big-screen cameo in The Dark Knight Rises as a member of the Gotham Rogues. But his successes are not solely attributable to talent. “When I was younger, one of my coaches once told me: ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ That was something I always held onto,” said Ward. Heroic Homecomings & Seoul Searching Beyond his accolades in the stadium, Hines is also a father, a son, a humanitarian, an ambassador and a leader. When he received the NAAAP 100 award in August, he shared it with his mother, whose courage, determination, and support Ward has always admired and appreciated. “Through it all, my mother has always maintained the same strength, love, discipline, and self-sacrifice for me,” he said. After he won the Super Bowl 28 | 20 | ANNIVERSARY HOLIDAY 2017/2018 2013/2014
XL in 2006, he returned to Seoul, his birthplace and his mother’s home city. In Korea, he met children who shared his story of struggle with discrimination because of their biracial identity. Determined to foster social and political change, he established the Hines Ward Helping Hands Korea Foundation. “I still believe that the number one concern in the multiracial community is racial prejudice,” said Ward. “I still see a lot of it, especially with kids. I have dedicated my foundation efforts to doing all I can to promote biracial equality and end the discrimination that still drives a lot of biracial kids to suicide.” “My vision for the next generation would be that we truly look beyond the color or colors of someone’s skin and treat each other with equality in all things,” he continued. “It’s a battle that I will never give up on.” The foundation is a start to building a more equitable world for children growing up in a society rooted in binaries and biases. The Helping Hands Korea Foundation now also serves underprivileged and urban youth in the United States MANY INduSTRIES, ONE FOCuS: IP Intellectual Property protects “Through the innovations this role, I have behind been your new products and services. with literacy programs in Pittsburgh and Atlanta. In 2010, Ward was selected by President Obama to be one of the commissioners on the White House Initiative for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. In this position, he was an integral part of the Initiative of Childhood Obesity among the American Samoan community. He also participated in the first ever Southeast Action Summit in Atlanta, where he grew up. In the coming www.fitzpatrickcella.com 22 | HOLIDAY 2013/2014 year, he is slated to host a White House anti-bullying event, as well as co-hosting another event with Apolo Anton Ohno, an eight-time Olympic medalist and newly appointed White House Commissioner. highlights, receptions, and yardage. able to gain more perspective on the It’s also our sole focus. Now, he is part of the NBC Sunday Korean side and the Asian side of my Night Football broadcast team. culture, as well as the issues impacting “I wanted to stay in football since our Asian communities every- I’ve played it all my life, but I defi- where,” said Ward. “I have definitely nitely didn’t want to get hit anymore built community with my fellow after I retired. This seemed to be commissioners. They are a brilliant a natural progression for me,” said group of the nation’s best minds. It Ward. “My next aspiration is to be has been a learning experience, and I one of the industry’s best broadcasters. I have WASHINGTON always been interested CALIFORNIA have been happy to use my celebrity NEW YORK in and fan base to create greater awareness of the needs of the AAPI community.” Off the Field, but Back-on-Screen Although Ward has retired from playing for the Steelers, he hasn’t retired from football. His legacy in the sports industry moves beyond career the other side of football and now I am fortunate enough to be able to live out this part of my dream and WWW.<strong>ALIST</strong>-MAGAZINE.COM | 29
Page 1 and 2: ANNIVERSARY 2017/2018 ISSUE 14 THE
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Page 5 and 6: AsiAn AmericAn leAdership the 2012
Page 7 and 8: FEATUrE “ Today, i’m going to r
Page 9 and 10: MUSEREFINED Modern fine jewelry WWW
Page 11 and 12: Five Years Later: Angie Chang, CEO
Page 13 and 14: IN THIS ISSUE WINTER 2013 22 Permis
Page 15 and 16: “I don’t see things as hurdles,
Page 17 and 18: chord of life A master of music and
Page 19 and 20: Mobile advertising that people actu
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Page 23 and 24: “[I’m] not just disrupting thin
Page 25 and 26: Kiip currently works with 15 percen
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Page 33 and 34: Five Years Later: Thuhien Nguyen, M
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Page 37 and 38: F FOLLOW THE ALISTER EMERGING LEADE
Page 39 and 40: Helen Wan’s ‘The Partner Track
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Page 53 and 54: F FEATURE The Importance of STEM an
Page 55 and 56: Five Years Later: Wendy Suzuki, Pro
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Page 59 and 60: Five Years Later: Christina Ha, Co-
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Page 63 and 64: Five Years Later: Glenn Sugiyama, D
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WHEN WE SAY FULL SERVICE, WE MEAN I
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Essential Dining Etiquette Rules Li
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An Interview with Novelist Weike Wa
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Saying Happy New Year in Different
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Acting for Life with Kalista Tazlin
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Turning Inspiration into Music with
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12-Step Korean Skin Care Regimen St
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NAAAP 100 Award Honorees and NAAAP
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BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE TO A PLACE W
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ALIST DIGITAL AD RATES & SPECS 2017
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