Center for Southeast Asians organizing voters for Nov. 4

Posted 9/16/14

Following the end of the Vietnam War in April 1975, thousands of Southeast Asians came to this country as refugees from political prosecution in their homelands. Throughout the turmoil in the region …

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Center for Southeast Asians organizing voters for Nov. 4

Posted

Following the end of the Vietnam War in April 1975, thousands of Southeast Asians came to this country as refugees from political prosecution in their homelands. Throughout the turmoil in the region during the late 1970s and early 1980s, hundreds of thousands were forced to flee the Khmer Rouge, the Laotian Civil War and of course, the communist government in Vietnam.

One of the primary destinations for Southeast Asian refugees and immigrants was Rhode Island. Today, our state is home to about 17,000 Southeast Asians, about half of Rhode Island’s total Asian population. Their families left Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam to escape the violence and political persecution there, and to find a better life.

As they arrived, they sought a better life for not just themselves but also their families, here and back home. While living with the trauma that refugees face, Southeast Asian families were still able to work hard and make productive lives for themselves. They accessed programs and services to improve their English and to gain skills to acquire jobs that would provide for their families.

Many Southeast Asians, just like the immigrants before them, worked in the factories and manufacturing companies that built strong and growing economies in industrial cities like Providence, Cranston and Woonsocket. Our families are hardworking and resilient, yet we remain an invisible community in Rhode Island.

For the past three and a half years, I have been the Executive Director of the Center for Southeast Asians (CSEA). It has been a true honor and joy to work in our most vulnerable communities. My story is similar to many of our Khmer Rouge survivors, and I’ve seen first hand how programs can help lift families out of poverty. Unfortunately, I also get to see first hand the racial and economic inequity that exists in our state. Our communities lack resources, representation and champions at all levels of government.

As an invisible community, we lack much political power. Nobody has ever encouraged Southeast Asians to join the political process and vote. That’s going to change this year. In partnership with our friends at Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIA-Vote), CSEA will work to make sure every Southeast Asian in Rhode Island is able to vote.

After this week’s primary results, we are on the ground running. We’ve been making phone calls, registering voters, canvassing neighborhoods, organizing rides to the polls and providing our communities with the resources and tools they will need on November 4, Election Day.

We know that every vote counts. We know that people who do not usually engage in the democratic process can have a huge impact. We know that Rhode Island needs change. So this year, our organization will organize our community like we’ve never done before.

We’re starting by participating in National Voter Registration Day on September 23. Please join us in this effort to create a more prosperous Southeast Asian community in Rhode Island, info@cseari.org or 274-8811.

Channavy Chhay is the Executive Director of the Center for Southeast Asians

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