Last night, the Long Beach City Council took its first step towards the creation of a Cambodian American Cultural Center—a unanimous approval of a feasibility study and visioning process.
The “International City” is home to a number of other cultural centers, including the African American Cultural Center, Japanese Cultural Center and Homeland Cultural Center. A Latino American Cultural Center is currently in the visioning process.
But Cambodian Americans have yet to see a cultural center of their own, despite the fact that Long Beach is home to the largest number of Cambodians anywhere besides Cambodia itself.
Councilmember Suely Saro, who authored the proposal, said that the center was a “dream” of many Cambodians living in Long Beach.
“Given how arts and culture was almost completely lost during the genocide, it’s so important to many of our Cambodian elders that our culture and history are not lost,” Saro said. “But that it’s not only celebrated and promoted, but preserved so the next generation, such as myself, of Cambodian Americans can learn and understand.”
During public comment, supportive residents said that the center would act as a bridge between younger and older generations of Cambodians. A cultural center, many said, would add posterity to Khmer arts, culture and traditions that were nearly lost during the years-long genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge in the ‘70s.
“This will create a safe space for community members to not only learn, but also feel together from the genocide, but also for our young and the next generation to be able to understand more about themselves and their identity as Cambodian Americans,” said Susanna Sgneim, executive director of the United Cambodian Community.
The council directed staff to work with community stakeholders to create a vision plan for the cultural center and to identify potential sites where the center could be located.
“It will be a place where people can connect to our ancestors, their courageous stories, and to continue their legacy as the descendants in the United States,” said Christina Lee, a Methodist pastor.
She continued, “The Center also will remind the Khmer children of the potential inner strength within themselves by making them aware that they can survive and can do, despite what their background or their parents have gone through, and they can harness to use that for their own pursuits.”
According to a budget analysis, the visioning process could cost upwards of $50,000. No funding sources have been identified and the council may have to allocate additional resources for the plan or draw down on its reserves.
The next Long Beach City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 14. at 5 p.m. in the Civic Chambers, 411 W Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802.
