The Library of Congress will mark the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Korean immigrants in the United States with a poetry reading Friday.

The reading, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the Mumford Room of the James Madison Building, will feature Korean-American poets Yearn Hong Choi and Haengja Kim reading their own work, along with a presentation of the late Nam Soo Park’s poetry. Poetry will be presented in both Korean and English.

Koreans first immigrated to the United States in January 1903, when a group of 102 men, women and children arrived in Hawaii, then a U.S. territory.

D.C. Vote Honors Lieberman, Norton and Rich

D.C. Vote named Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Frank Rich as its “Champions of Democracy” for 2002.

The trio were honored at a reception Tuesday evening at the Hyatt Regency Capitol.

D.C. Vote, a nonprofit that promotes Congressional representation for the District, selected the honorees for their work to bring “equality to the residents of D.C. and to ensure that the work continues,” according to the group’s Web site.

Film Series Focuses on Iranian Women

The Smithsonian Institution debuts its “The Hidden Half: Iranian Women Directors” film series Friday.

The series focuses on feature movies, as well as experimental films and a presentation on the life of poet and filmmaker Forough Farrokhzad. The films are presented in Farsi with English subtitles.

The first film, “Daughters of the Sun,” directed by Maryam Shahriar, tells the story Amanagol, who is disguised as a boy to work in a carpetweaving shop. It will play at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Upcoming screenings will include “Women’s Prison,” Jan. 24 and 26; “Other Visions: An Evening of Stories,” Feb. 7; “Blackboards,” Feb. 9; Farrokhzad’s “The Green Cold” and “The Mirror of the Soul,” Feb. 14; a panel discussion on “The Legacy of Forough Farrokhzad,” Feb. 16; “Under the Skin of the City,” Feb. 21 and 23; and “The Hidden Half,” Feb. 28.

Admission to the films is free, but tickets are required for seating in the Meyer Auditorium of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. For more information, visit www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp.

— Jennifer Yachnin