At Ida B. Wells High School, a primarily student-led community resides in the waves of the wide variety of clubs IBW has to offer — this is all thanks to the global phenomenon known as Korean Pop or K-pop. IBW K-Pop Club, founded roughly three or more years ago, is a popular student hub that expresses its love for the genre on campus. However, as time went on, the popularity of this club began to dwindle, leading the K-Pop club to become inactive.
Will this be the end of an era? Or the beginning of a new one?
What started as a small gathering of passionate fans has grown into a vibrant community that meets weekly with Emily O’Laughlin, who teaches all science subjects like physics, biology, and chemistry, in Room 239. To celebrate the genre, whether that be playing music videos, adding songs to a “club queue” and studying dance routines to their favorite songs. In addition, they immerse themselves in the culture by creating slideshows to learn about the various artists they idolize, as their goal is to foster appreciation for the genre, not appropriation.
“We ensure members understand the deeper cultural context behind what we’re enjoying. It makes the experience more meaningful,” says club president Madeline “Maddie” Brooks.
Members from all grade levels are welcome under the supervision of Brooks as she offers an accommodating space for students to connect over their shared love of countless K-Pop idols such as GOT7 and EXO. The president even added her suggestions for those who are only familiar with BTS and BLACKPINK.
“I think people who want to listen to a K-Pop group, [without it being in a different language] would like XG—my personal favorite is H1-Key. Originally, they were ‘athletic pop,’ essentially promoting a healthy lifestyle through the pop genre, but have since changed genres to rock,” says Brooks. “Overall, they have a lot of sub-genres to listen to.”
While the K-pop club is primarily about celebrating the genre, the community is where it shines the most. Though frequently stigmatized for their fandom, as they’re commonly stereotyped as “obsessive teenage girls” or “Korenophiles” (people who are overly obsessed with Korean culture, believing that they are Korean without showing evidence of lineage). K-Pop Club is different, as they want to create a welcoming environment that’s fun and exciting for everyone.
With this goal in mind, several members have continued to come back for weekly meetings, including Brooks, her four other friends and two people who first gained interest due to the club fair at the beginning of the school year.
The IBW K-pop club goes beyond a group of people showing their affection for a genre they’ve come to love. It’s a community built on a foundation of creativity, inclusion, learning and a shared passion for a global phenomenon.
