|
 home
 title
page Introduction
CAMBODIANS IN CRISIS
A Study of the Cambodian Population
In Long Beach, CA
1. INTRODUCTION
Question: “What do you think the Cambodian community in Long Beach most needs at this moment?”
Answer: “Love and compassion. We need understanding…someone to help us”.
(Excerpt from interview with an anonymous Cambodian community leader.)
This is the cry of the very marginalized Cambodian community in Long Beach which is the focus of this paper. This population may be known best for the restaurants in “Little Phnom Penh” on Anaheim Street, Long Beach. But, upon closer examination, we find one of the most devastated and isolated migrant groups yet to settle in the USA. In addition to all the usual issues encountered by “Asian” immigrants, they bring with them the psychological baggage of being war refugees who suffered (and still suffer daily, in many cases) the terrors of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia in the late 1970s.
In this paper, we attempt to piece together some statistics and stories which tell the story of the largely ignored Cambodians in Long Beach. Having established that background, we will then discuss some urban mission strategies which may reach this group of Cambodians in Long Beach- the largest concentration of Cambodians in the US today.
The sources for this paper are drawn from: studies and resources obtained from community assistance groups, charities and others aiding the Cambodian community in various ways; available census data; online Internet resources; university studies; and various interviews by the authors with local church and Cambodian community leaders as well as various Cambodian refugees/immigrants.
|
CHANNEL
