An event happening on Saturday, June 18 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Wing Luke Museum is aiming to connect the Khmer communities with the larger community, and to offer the opportunity for a viewing of the Naga Sheds It’s Skin Khmer exhibit.
The efforts spearheaded by the Wing Luke Museum and Rajana Society work to make space for honoring and connecting Khmer community leaders across Washington State. The event is roughly two hours long and will showcase a looping short documentary produced by local Khmer filmmaker Vannra Yan during the first hour, accompanied by Khmer Jazz Fusion music.
One of the most important disconnects in the Khmer community is access to social and political capital. In helping to bridge this gap, the event will hope to bring artists, public officials, and the Khmer community to mingle, exchange ideas, and build communication infrastructure to future collaboration and partnerships.
During a short reception, Rajana Society has invited the newly formed Cambodian Community Council of Washington State to be formally presented and recognized. The Cambodian Community Council of Washington State is a collective of 12 Cambodian American organizations across Washington state, with a majority concentrated in Seattle/King County & Pierce County.
Rajana Society will also take the opportunity during the reception to unveil Khmer community priorities, which were uncovered through a Rajana Community Impact Conversation that took place on March 19, 2016 that included intergenerational participants from the Khmer community and a few API leaders who supported this process as allies.
The Cambodian Community Council of Washington State’s genesis grew from an event last summer that took place on August 29, 2015 that was titled, “Remembering the past, and welcoming the future.” The event included 500 participants and also the first elected Cambodian American Representative Rady Mom, representing the 18th Middlesex district in Massachusetts. State Sen. Bob Hasegawa and King County Councilmember Larry Gossett were among the few public officials present during this event.
Intergenerational dialogue is important to the work Rajana Society undertakes because it is the bridge (“Spean”) that will connect and carry on our culture, past, present and future generations. Since returning from Rajana Society’s Spean Delegation to Cambodia this past April, the group has learned the importance of our “Spean”—bridge building activities. Building bridges is more impacting than building walls. The Spean Rajana Khmer Mixer on June 18 at the Wing Luke Museum is another Spean building activity for our communities.
The Spean Rajana Khmer Mixer is sponsored by the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific Experience, Rajana Society (made possible through the Seattle Foundation), and Seattle Sihanoukville-Sister City Association.
Access to Khmer audio translations for the exhibition and translation tours are available. To register for this free program, call (206) 623-5124 x114 or email [email protected] for more information.