Cambodian Americans in Long Beach will soon have a place to create intergenerational relationships, showcase their art and history and access mental health resources.
Less than a month after the 48th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge capturing the city of Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975, the Long Beach City Council unanimously approved a feasibility plan for creating a Cambodian American Cultural Center.
Outside of Cambodia, Long Beach has the highest population of Cambodians in the United States. Many of the residents emigrated to the city in the 1970s and were fleeing from the Khmer Rouge, otherwise known as the Communist Party of Kampuchea, under the leadership of Pol Pot.
The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia for nearly five years and orchestrated a genocide that killed almost 2 million people during its time, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Long Beach now has roughly 20,000 Cambodian Americans, according to the Cal State Long Beach news center, and has formally recognized a part of Central Long Beach as Cambodia Town in 2007. The corridors along Anaheim Street between Atlantic and Junipero Avenues are home to many Cambodian restaurants, small businesses and religious centers.
“Timing is really key … we know our history, we know the Khmer Rouge was the catalyst that brought all this here, but here we are almost 50 years since then and we’re so much more than the Khmer Rouge,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “The Cambodian community’s contributions to Long Beach are incredible from arts, culture and food to entertainment.”
The city started the process of creating a community engagement plan for a Cambodian American Cultural Center in September 2021.
Since May 2022, there have been multiple community meetings, public surveys, workshops and interviews to find out what Cambodians in Long Beach want to see in their cultural center. An intentional effort to include youth and seniors was met through targeted workshops and outreach, according to staff reports.
Some of the programs Cambodian Americans said they want include Khmer and English classes, Cambodian and Cambodian American art, Khmer performing arts, cooking classes, history exhibits, mental health resources, youth development resources and healing spaces.
Lord Cultural Center, the consulting firm that conducted the feasibility study, said the center should “celebrate the [Cambodian American] narrative outside of solely the Khmer Rouge and the golden age of Cambodia and really build on the strengths and achievements of the Cambodian American community.”
The envisioned center would be roughly 27,500 square feet, preferably near MacArthur Park and the Mark Twain Public Library, both of which are in Cambodia Town.
Partnerships with local educational institutions, religious institutions, nonprofits, community groups and other cultural centers within the city were stated as part of the plan to provide a full slew of resources to residents.
Tasha Hunter, a representative from the firm, estimated that after five years of operation, the cultural center would require a budget of $1 million annually, garner 30,000 visits a year and staff six full-time employees and four contract employees. Hunter said the center will likely generate $25,000 annually and require $75,000 a year through grants and donations to break even.
Suely Saro, the only Cambodian American councilmember in office, said the process was “bittersweet,” as it’s occurring less than a month from the anniversary of the Cambodian genocide.
“It’s always a reminder of why we need to have cultural arts and language preservation because so much was lost and so much disconnection occurred,” Saro said. “As a child of a genocide survivor, I know intimately what loss has meant in my family and community. The loss of loved ones, the loss of belonging and the sense of place and identity and language.
“The vision for this is for us to be able to come back to a pace of gains rather than loss; it’s to be fulfilled rather than grieve.”
Part of the vision is to create economic opportunities for Cambodian Americans in Long Beach by hosting small businesses and providing youth mentorships and volunteer opportunities.
Many Cambodian American residents spoke to the need for such a center, specifically for access to mental health resources for both older and younger generations.
“Cambodians experience high levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression due to the Cambodian genocide,” said Long Beach resident Ladin Chen. “The Cambodian American Cultural Center will be a hub for the community to receive services, resources and programs to help improve their mental health.”
The next step in the plan to create a Cambodian American Cultural Center is to form a nonprofit organization that will continue community outreach and advocate for the needs of the center.
There will soon be fundraising events, surveys, meetings and more to advance the efforts, all of which will be advertised on a soon-to-be-established website and social media pages.
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