(Photo from MSNBC)
Time watches slowly…
Almost thirty years after the violence, Khmer Rouge leaders who perpetrated the genocide in Cambodia are quietly being brought to trial. The first formal hearing was held last November, and proceedings will start soon.
About three weeks ago, Cambodian refugee and New York Times photo-journalist Dith Pran passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Pran’s story was documented in the Academy Award-winning film The Killing Fields, which centers around his relationship with NYT columnist and friend Sydney Shanberg.
Last year, one of our friends was working on a community mural at our Cultural Center as part of her Division III project, and requested a photo of Pran. He sent us an old one, and it was kind of cool to hold a token from a namesake of the space you’re sitting in .
Three months ago, I read this article from the NYTimes about how gentrification has been pushing the Cambodian refugee/Cambodian American community out of the Fordham Road neighborhood in the Bronx. The article also cites a lack of neighborhood services and community as reasons for the community’s disintegration.
Last week was Cambodian New Year.
Tonight, we held a vigil for Pran in the Cultural Center, a safe space at Hampshire for students of color and international students.
