Biracial Football Star (02:46)

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Super Bowl champion Hines Ward visits his childhood neighborhood in Georgia. He was born to a South Korean mother and African-American father in Seoul. They divorced after moving to the U.S. and he lived with his mother from age eight.

Social Outcast (04:49)

Ward experienced racial discrimination growing up; he was teased until he started football. Learn about his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After being named MVP at the 2006 Super Bowl, he gained popularity in South Korea.

Returning to Korea (03:04)

Ward brought his mother to Seoul; she had experienced discrimination for having married an African-American man. Ward wanted to use his football celebrity status to change social perceptions of multiracial children.

Helping Hands Foundation (02:49)

After visiting multiracial children at Pearl S. Buck International in Seoul, Ward established his own organization to promote biracial equality around the world. He sponsored trips for children from Korea to visit the U.S. and experience their American heritage, called "fatherland tours."

Gaining Self-Acceptance (04:38)

Ward visits Seoul in 2017 and is reunited with some of the children who came on "fatherland tours" to the U.S. They say the experience made them more comfortable with being biracial. He encourages them to give back to their community.

Finding Multiracial Korean Community (05:46)

Michael Edens, 24, works as project manager for an IT company. At 13, he wrote Ward a letter about attempting suicide due to social isolation; Ward gave him hope. Ward spends a day coaching Korean university students in football.