Local Cambodians share survival stories in upcoming exhibit

Young girls perform a Khmer dance at the More Than a Party event at the Lynn Museum Friday. (Item Photo / Angela Owens)

By Amber Parcher
The Daily Item (Lynn, Massachusetts, USA)

LYNN - Sixteen-year-old Jimson Thach knew his parents came to America from their homeland of Cambodia in the 1980s. But beyond that, he said he didn't know much about their life before America.

"They don't really talk about it," he said.

An exhibit coming to the Lynn Museum next month detailing the stories of thousands of Cambodian refugees could change all of that.

Thach's parents, and most of the other middle-aged Cambodians living in Lynn, fled to America from a brutal genocide that killed an estimated 2 million people, said Kirirath Saing, the Southeast Asian Liason for Lynn's mayor.

New councilors in Lynn, Lowell a milestone for Cambodian community

Hong L. Net was sworn in this week as a Lynn city councilor. Net is believed to be one of the first Cambodian-American councilors in the nation. (Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff)

January 5, 2012
By John Laidler
Boston Globe Correspondent (Massachusetts, USA)

When Hong L. Net and Vesna Nuon took their oaths as city councilors this week, it marked the official start of their tenures as municipal officials but also a defining moment for the region’s Cambodian-American community.

Net, who won a Lynn City Council seat last November, and Nuon, who earned a seat on the Lowell City Council, are believed to be the second and third Cambodian-Americans in the country to be elected to city councils.

Rithy Uong, whose election to the Lowell City Council in 1999 made him the first, said he is not aware of any other Cambodian-Americans nationally who have won council seats.

Although still elated at their electoral wins, Net and Nuon - both Cambodian natives - are looking ahead to their new role as leaders of their adopted cities.

Cambodian fare steps up a notch

January 1, 2012
STEVEN A. ROSENBERG
Boston Globe (Massachusetts, USA)

Apsara Angkor Restaurant

• 877 Western Ave., Lynn
• 781-477-6045
• Open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. ; Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to midnight
• Credit cards accepted
• Accessible to the handicapped

For years, the Cambodian restaurant Mittapheap, just blocks away from Lynn’s General Electric plant on Western Avenue, served as an oasis to Cambodian natives and adventurous Americans who wanted home-cooked Cambodian fare without driving to Boston.

Enter Sokhoeun Chea, who lives a few blocks from the restaurant and was a regular at Mittapheap in between his management jobs at a department store and a night club. Chea, who is 48, survived the Killing Fields in Cambodia, and lived in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines before arriving in Revere. There, he persuaded school officials to allow him to go to high school - and despite being 20 and sitting in a classroom for the first time in his life, he learned how to read, write, and speak English.

“This is my second life in America. This is my heaven,’’ explained Chea on a chilly evening last week in Lynn. Chea purchased the restaurant property on Dec. 1, and since then he has tinkered with Mittapheap’s extensive, formerly 50-page menu - slimming down some of the repetitive offerings, such as meat-based soups - while sitting with customers and conducting his own research. He says his management experience has taught him that the customer comes first and is always right.

In troducing Hong Net, Lynn city Cambodian-American councilor-at-large

Hong Net, Lynn city councilor-at-large

About Hong NET

I am passionate about promoting public safety through strong neighborhood-police solutions and opportunities for youth, investing in our public schools and developing new strategies for engaging parents in their children’s education, building a unified Lynn where all communities are part of the conversation about the future of the city, and nurturing economic growth through strengthening local businesses and improving Lynn’s regional image.

At age 15, I arrived in the United States with nothing but a plastic bag of belongings and a broken arm. Separated from my family during the war in Cambodia, I was taken in by a foster family in Massachusetts. With the support of my adopted family and my own personal strength, I advanced my education and have worked hard to provide for my family ever since.

I graduated from Holyoke Catholic High School in 1988 and from UMass Amherst in 1992 with a B.S. in Political Science. I now live in Lynn with my wife, Thavra, and children, Anna and William, who are both students in Lynn public schools. We are committed to the City of Lynn for the long haul and want the best for our family and all residents of Lynn.

I have many years of experience working with non-profit organizations in Lynn and elsewhere to promote civic engagement and to empower people of all walks of life to reach their full potential. Currently, I work as a child support enforcement officer at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. I have worked as a youth and family case manager in Lynn at the South Cove Community Health Center, was an assistant coach for Lynn Youth Soccer, and taught citizenship classes in Lowell. Working on job creation with the Cambodian Council and the rebuilding projects for a non-profit organization serving in Cambodia are other ventures that I have been a part of. I was also able to found the International Language Center to teach ESL and computer skills to over 800 students.

I believe that local government is strongest when all voices are included in decision-making. I am passionate about:

• Education: developing new strategies for parent engagement; investing in our public schools
• Public Safety: strengthening community-police relations; restoring School Resource Officers; increasing after-school programs for youth
• A Unified Lynn: promoting diverse civic involvement; encouraging cultural expression and events; improving inter-cultural communication
• Economic Growth: strengthening local businesses; encouraging new businesses; improving Lynn’s image

For additional information please visit: http://votehong.net/home.html

Vote for Cambodian-American Hong Net for Councilor at Large in Lynn, Massachusetts

For additional information on Hong Net, please click: http://votehong.net/home.html

Lynn family in fight to save home

The Ouk Family at their 11 Rockaway Ave., Lynn home on Wednesday. Pictured clockwise from bottom left are Cynthia Chan, Serey Ouk, Chrean Ouk, Chivy Chum, Arryanna Chan and Chantrea Ouk. Item Photo / Reba M. Saldanha

Friday, October 22, 2010
By Jeff McMenemy
The Daily Item

LYNN - Serey Ouk will soon be the first member of her family to graduate from an American high school.

But while many students her age are focusing solely on their studies, Serey Ouk has also been at the center of her family's fight to stay in their rental home as banking giant Deutsche Bank - until they abruptly reached a tentative agreement this week to sell the property to a Boston non-profit - attempted to kick her family out.

Because her parents speak little English and her older sister's English is somewhat limited, she has been the family's chief translator and the person who has answered the "rude" phone calls at all hours of the day and the knocks on the door at night from strangers demanding they be out of their house in 24 hours.

"It's aggravating, it's really aggravating," she said, surrounded by three generations of family members in their neatly kept home on Rockaway Street.

The worst incident occurred when a stranger showed up one day and handed a summons to her 7-year-old niece, Arryana Chan.

"She wouldn't play outside after that," Ouk said. Even as it appears their fight to stay in their home might soon be over, Ouk remains perplexed about why the bank tried to evict them for about a year in the first place.

"I just feel like why are they doing this?" she said.

The Lynn English High School senior acknowledges the struggle has been stressful for both her family and her.

"They were pounding on the door or calling on the phone," she said. "I had to take the SATs and I didn't know if we were going to have to go somewhere else to live."

Her parents came to America from Cambodia to give their children the freedom they had lost in their native country, Ouk said.

"They came here from a refugee camp," she said. "They came here to live."

Translating for her father, Chrean Ouk, Serey Ouk said her family came to the United States for the same reason many immigrants do.

"So they could have their freedoms and their rights and their kids could have a good education," Serey Ouk said.

And the family also brought some of their homeland to America, creating an oasis of agriculture in the city's asphalt core.

Chrean Ouk proudly showed a visitor the numerous plants that surround their home, from beets to pear and peach trees, where you can grab fruit right off the branch. Chrean Ouk pointed to a series of buckets the family uses to collect rain water to use on the plants.

"The one (garden) he had at home when he was a child was bigger. It was acres," Serey Ouk said. "It reminds him of his farm in Cambodia."

Serey Ouk pointed to a plant with white flowers and said, "The more flowers on there the more money you're supposed to have. It's supposed to be a good luck plant."

The family also helped create the community garden at the Robert L. Ford School, where Chantrea Ouk's two daughters, Arryana Chan, 7, and Cynthia Chan, 5, attend. Chantrea Ouk, Serey's older sister who works full-time, has also been instrumental in keeping her family in the home that their brother used to own before he lost his job and was foreclosed on.

And the family - who has always paid the rent - was determined not to leave their home of five years and go back to the type of housing they used to live in.

"We used to live in an apartment," Serey Ouk said, shaking her head at the memory. "There was smoking and people partying and fighting and the cops would come. My mom has health issues, she has asthma. Here she can go outside whenever she wants and it's peaceful."

Serey Ouk said her family didn't want to leave their house because her nieces would have to leave the Ford School, which they love and she also attended. It would also have an impact on her parents.

"My parents have been kicked out of their country, it's not right for them to be kicked out of their home," she said.

Fortunately, about a year ago, the family started attending meetings of Lynn United for Change, a volunteer community organization dedicated to helping families stay in their homes, not only because it helps the families, but because it helps the city's neighborhoods.

"It provides a solution for the family who gets to stay in their home and the school system who doesn't have to deal with the situation of taking young kids out of one school and moving them to another," said Isaac Simon Hodes, a spokesman for the group. "And the neighborhood doesn't have to see a vacant house that got foreclosed on by the bank and is now empty and boarded up."

The organization has worked with the family throughout their struggle to keep the home and also helped connect them with Boston Community Capital, a branch of which ultimately reached the tentative deal to buy the house from Deutsche Bank.

"They helped us all along," Serey Ouk said about the group as she stood in her family's side yard.

Lynn United For Change also helped the family organize a vigil that was held Wednesday night.

More than 70 people attended the event.

But for the first time in more than a year, many family members hope they will have soon found a permanent home.

Patricia Hanratty, the president of the SUN (Stabilizing Urban Neighborhoods) Initiative, a branch of Boston Community Capital, told The Daily Item late Wednesday that her organization had brokered a deal with Deutsche Bank to buy the Rockaway Street property.

"We're working on the paperwork now," she said.

Boston Community Capital takes money that they receive from private foundations or private individuals and then uses it to buy properties in urban neighborhoods - so far it's been mostly in Boston - and then gives low-interest mortgages to the tenants or homeowners who are going through a foreclosure.

"Both from the individual family level and the community level it's fundamental for all of us as human beings to have housing ... With this program, we're making sure we have a long-term, sustainable solution. It's not a short-term solution," Hanratty said.

"We evaluate the current residents to see if they have the capacity to support housing payments to buy or rent the house," Hanratty said.

The non-profit lender recently received a $5.5 million Wachovia Wells Fargo NEXT award so they can expand their efforts to reach more communities outside of Boston.

Pascale Desir, a staff attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services in Lynn, who represented Serey Ouk and her family, said their office has been "flooded with post foreclosure evictions."

The Legislature recently enacted a law that offers more protection for renters who have paid their rent even while their landlord lost their home to eviction, but Deutsche Bank's efforts to evict Serey Ouk and her family started before the new law took effect.

Attorney Lawson Williams of Chelmsford, who is representing Deutsche Bank, could not be reached for comment.

But in this case, Desir says the bank clearly has a family that was worth working with.

"They want to do what's right. This is very important in a city that's been ravaged by foreclosure to keep families in their homes," Desir said. "No one wants to live in a community where doors are covered with plywood."

That worry may be coming to an end for Serey Ouk and her family.

"I'm still nervous," she said when asked about the pending deal. "But I'm hopeful."

(Thor Jourgensen also contributed to this report)

Lynn Cambodian community invited to City Hall

May 15, 2010
By David Liscio
The Daily Item

LYNN - Thousands of Cambodians live in Lynn, but many have never set foot in City Hall out of fear or simply because they are unaware of available municipal services.

Ward 5 Councilor Brendan Crighton wants to change their way of thinking, which is why he has partnered with the local Khmer Cultural Planning Committee to host Cambodian Community Day today at City Hall.

According to Crighton, the Cambodian communities in Lynn and Lowell combined make up the third largest concentration of Khmer-speaking people in the world, yet many of these immigrants do not take advantage of local clinics, translators or direct services.

To remedy the situation, Lynn residents of Cambodian origin have been invited into the City Council's chamber from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a community meeting.

"The purpose of the meeting is to provide information on city services to the Cambodian community and to welcome them to City Hall," said Crighton, noting that the event will include presentations by local officials as well as a chance for the public to ask questions about city services.

Kirirath "A.J." Saing, a volunteer in Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy's office, will assist with language translation. Members of the Khmer Cultural Planning Committee will be present to share ideas on how to foster inter-cultural dialogue in the city. The committee meets regularly to discuss ways to preserve and share the culture and heritage of Cambodia. It also plans the city's annual Cambodian New Year celebration.

"Lynn has one of the largest Cambodian populations in the world and it's important that we as a city have a strong partnership with them," said Crighton.

The city council said he hopes to start what will become an ongoing discussion between local government and the Cambodian community.

"We had a good showing at Cambodian New Year, so we've asked people to come down and familiarize themselves with city services," he said. "The city has medical clinics and we might touch upon that, but this whole event is geared to city government and available services. We want to build their trust and make them more comfortable. As a city government, we're ready to head in that direction."

Crighton said many Lynn residents are unaware of Cambodia's history of genocide and the so-called killing fields that left millions dead only three decades ago.

In addition to information on city services, the event will be highlighted by performances of traditional Cambodian dance. Lynn Cam has volunteered to tape the event, which will allow those who are unable to attend to watch on live television or on reruns.

Lynn Cambodian-American teen to be honored at Girls Inc. luncheon

Lynn teens to be honored at Girls Inc. luncheon revealed

Wednesday, March 31, 2010
By Robin Kaminski
The Daily Item (Lynn, Massachusetts, USA)

LYNN - Four Lynn girls will be recognized for being role models to their peers and will receive scholarships for their hard work and dedication at Girls Inc.'s 22nd annual luncheon on April 15.

Jacklyn Crowley, Ivanna Solano, Phumana Phim and Stephanie Hardy will be honored at the Danversport Yacht Club, where this year's Strong, Smart and Bold Honoree will be Diane Patrick, first lady of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, who is expected to talk about the achievements of women and girls.

Hardy, 17, a junior at Lynn English, has been awarded the top prize with a National Scholarship of $2,500.

"I was shocked to learn that I was chosen," she said.

A member of La Verdad, Part of the Solution, a teen member on the Girls Inc. Board of Directors and a tutor to middle school students, Hardy said she plans to apply to 10 colleges, with Harvard, Stanford, Boston University and Northeastern as her top picks.

"I have big plans for my future," she said. "I love the whole feeling of women empowerment and I never want to rely on a man to take care of me."

Hardy will be inducted into the National Honor Society next week and currently holds a 3.85 GPA. She plans on entering the field of accounting, along with the hope of pursuing a career in politics.

"Girls Inc. has helped me with everything from pubic speaking to working with groups and taking charge, and I use a lot of what I've learned at Girls Inc. for (the ROTC program at Lynn English)," she said.

Crowley, along with Solano and Phim, will each be honored as Girl Heroes and will receive $1,500 scholarships.

Having been active in Girls Inc. for 11 years, Crowley, 17, is currently involved in the mentoring program and as an academic assistant with middle school students.

"They've taught us to be strong, smart and bold and be good role models," she said. "It's an honor to be given this award, not just for the scholarship, but to be recognized as a role model."

The Classical High School senior and hip-hop/jazz dancer has applied to nine colleges and is anxious to see if she will be accepted at her top choice, Harvard, to pursue a career as a doctor.

"It's sad to think that I won't be here anymore, but I definitely want to come back and be part of the mentoring program in the future," she said.

Solano, 17, also a senior at Classical High, has been involved with Girls Inc. for three years. During that time, Solano said she has learned vital skills to overcome her shyness and become more comfortable in her own skin.

She takes part in the Part of the Solution youth council, mentoring and the teen health ambassador program.

"The staff encourages you to believe in yourself and they always say, 'You can do it' and prep you so well," she said. "It's definitely a great honor to win this award."

Solano said she has applied to a number of schools, including Pace University and Drexel, and plans to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Phim, 20, a native of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, recently moved to Lynn with her parents, and said she has grown immensely during her time at Girls Inc.

"I'm a shy person and I was able to get help learning English and meeting new friends," she said. "I'm the first generation to go to school, so my parents are really happy for me."

Phim has applied to 10 colleges, including Merrimack College and plans to pursue a career in accounting. She is currently involved with the academic and mentoring programs at Girls Inc., and plays volleyball at Lynn English.

"I am so excited that I'm getting this award," she said. "I couldn't believe it."

For 67 years, Girls Inc. has been offering programs for girls that teach about issues of sexism, racism, the prevention of early sexual activity, underage drinking, and drug use. Teens also learn about career choices, college admissions, and other post-secondary opportunities, with access to academic workshops, tutoring, a computer lab and adult mentors.

Tickets to the April 15 luncheon are $60 and are available by visiting www.girlsinclynn.org and clicking on "Celebration Luncheon."

Khmer New Year rocks LynnArts

Rossophea Chap carves a large piece of fruit, which he says it took about a day to learn with a lot of practicing and internet research, Sunday at LynnArts. (PHOTO: ALAN WEBSTER)

Monday, April 21, 2008
By Richard Tenorio
The Daily Item (Lynn, Massachusetts, USA)

LYNN-In a city with a sizeable Cambodian-American population, members of the Massachusetts Cambodian-American community celebrated the Khmer New Year at LynnArts on Sunday.

“I thought it went well,” said planning committee co-chair R. Bobby Pres, a 2002 Lynn Tech graduate who now works in financial services. “This was once again a stepping-stone for us.”

Pres estimated a crowd of 150 to 200 people visited the celebration, which was held in Lynn for the seventh straight year and which celebrates a New Year rooted in the end of the Khmer harvest (its actual date is April 13-15). Pres and fellow planning committee member Judy Khy said that there were differences in the focus of this year’s event. Pres mentioned an emphasis on youth and community organizing, while Khy discussed a greater role of art.

“Usually, Cambodian youth are seen as very threatening,” Pres said, citing the role of gangs. “We try to make them known in a positive light.” He added that a goal of the New Year event was to “push them toward resources and a leadership role in the community.”

Khy, whose primary role was to coordinate volunteer outreach and recruitment, said, “We were able to get more Southeast Asian artists and performers. That was really great.”

The day began with a Khmer blessing dance from three Lynn high school students, followed by performances from 3rd World Entertainment of Lowell, a Lowell ceramic artisan, a spoken-word piece, kung fu line-dancing from the Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy of Malden, and break-dancing from local Cambodian youth. Artists had opportunities to sell their work, and attendees had a chance to sample Khmer food. Pres and Khy both noted the roots of Khmer culture in Lynn.

“We have a temple, and culturally, there are grocery stores, video rental stores, and Cambodian people here,” Pres said. “There are a lot of us.”

Khy noted that Cambodian-Americans in Lynn might celebrate the new year with additional festivities.

“In Lynn, there might be smaller things, like temple celebrations and religious and social gatherings for older folks and families,” she said. “There might also be nighttime events and parties. (The LynnArts event) was the only one I knew of that was open to the entire community.”

LynnArts hosted the event for the first time this year, providing its auditorium and both of its galleries. Past locations included North Shore Community College, the Lynn Housing Authority, and the Lynn Tech cafeteria.

“(LynnArts) was definitely a great location,” Khy said. “It’s in the vicinity of public transportation, which is a big plus. Being close to the Lynnway also helps. The parking around the area seems pretty convenient.”

Khy addressed the resilience of the Cambodian-American community, many of whose members escaped from a nation torn by a civil war in the 1970s that resulted in the ascension of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979.

“I think that Cambodian-American celebrations definitely have an undertone acknowledging that the whole Cambodian-American community living in the US (is) definitely a resilient people,” Khy said, “being that they overcame a civil war in Cambodia and have become refugees, they were in refugee camps in countries like Thailand, the Philippines, and Burma ... coming to America, trying to assimilate here, and formed their own communities again.

“Each celebration just speaks to being able to acknowledge that.”