[5] In 1995, Kim received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and in 2004, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Notre Dame.
[6] In addition to teaching, Kim served UC Berkeley as a Faculty Assistant to the Chancellor for the Status of Women, Associate Dean of the Graduate Division, and Assistant Dean in the College of Letters and Science.
[6] A pioneering scholar of Asian American Studies, Kim's research areas included Asian American literature, culture, and feminism,[3] and she was often a source for commentary on contemporary issues related to the Asian American community, such as affirmative action,[7] anti-Asian violence,[8] and nativist and anti-immigrant rhetoric.
[9] Kim also studied the impact of the 1992 Los Angeles riots and civil disturbances on the Korean American community in light of the purported Korean cultural trait called han.
[2] The Korean Community Center of the East Bay provides legal assistance for immigration issues and social services for the elderly.