Long Beach entrepreneur Brandy Myers started Khemara Kids in 2020 to provide children with the Khmer language resources she wished she had growing up.
“I always wanted to learn Khmer as a kid, but as a child the resources were not really readily available,” Myers said.
The products offered in Khemara Kids’ online shop include bilingual story and picture books in Khmer and English by the Cambodian publishing company Sipar; puzzles to help children learn Khmer vowels, consonants and numbers that Myers purchased in a market during a trip to Cambodia; flashcards and Khemara Kids’ best-selling electronic sound book.
“The sound book is really popular because most Khmer people, even in my generation, don’t actually read [Khmer] or speak Khmer themselves so it’s really hard for them to pass it on to their kids,” Myers said. “The sound book is really fun because it actually reads to them.”
Myers had always noticed a lack of Cambodian representation in children’s books. While the Mark Twain Library in Long Beach has a wide collection of Khmer books, most other cities in the United States are not as fortunate.
She thought of starting Khemara Kids for years, but in May 2020 during lockdown she finally launched her business.
“A lot of children, and even adults, want to learn their native language but we just don’t have the resources or we don’t feel that there’s adequate representation for us in those areas,” Myers said.
Myers was raised in Columbus, Ohio and said there wasn’t a large Cambodian community in her area when she was growing up.
“I always wanted to learn how to speak it, but sometimes our parents didn’t have the resources or even the free time to teach it to us or even the knowledge sometimes—like my mom never went to school in Cambodia,” Myers said. “So it’s really important for us to have at least access to these kinds of things.”
At 8 years old, Myers began teaching herself Khmer through karaoke songs. Now as an adult Myers is taking Khmer classes to hone her language skills.
“It’s really important to have a sense of self-identity and be really aware of who you are and know your roots where you came from,” Myers said. “[…] So being able to stay in touch with my culture through the language and things like that have just made me feel like I have more of a sense of self in American society as a Cambodian American, and just more connected with my culture in general.”
To keep up with Khemara Kids follow its Instagram page, @khemarakids. To purchase products visit khemarakids.com.