Land of the Free, Home of the Brave - Is there a place in society for Cambodian immigrants? - Part 2

'To all the survivors out there, I want them to know that we are stronger and more resilient than we ever knew. We survived, that should be enough but it isn't. We must work hard to become whole again, to fill our soul with love and inspiration, to live the life that was intended for us before it was disrupted by war and horrors, and help rebuild a world that is better than the one we had just left.'

Loung Ung

'Our community, specifically the middle-aged and elder members, in-line with their want of privacy is traditionally silent about topics concerning their past and history. In their minds it is better to keep their personal shortcomings and our collective shame, i.e. the Khmer Rouge regime, hidden away. Though it is completely understandable why a whole generation would like to forget and move on from a tragic chapter in their lives, it unfortunately leaves my generation, those born in the late 1970’s and after, at a loss. We grow up believing we are Cambodian, but there is usually a language gap with parents not speaking English well if at all and children not speaking Khmer well if at all. On top of that, because parents and grandparents generally refuse to talk about the negative aspects of their past there is a gap in terms of shared knowledge and history. This lack of a common knowledge and language only hurts the community as a whole because it causes a disconnect between the generations.' 

 -  Cambodian-American resident, Sonny Van, 25 years old.

All images are subject to copyright and should not be republished without direct permission from the photographer

''Sonny Vaahn, 25, holds the refugee identification card of his family members, which was given upon initial entry into a refugee camp along the Thai-Cambodian border following the end of the Killing Fields in Cambodia. Bronx, New York, Sept. 2011.''

''Valentine Street in the Grand Concourse section of the Bronx, New York. For many Cambodians, the resettlement was difficult due to cultural barriers and a feeling of fear and isolation. Sept. 2011.''

''Wedding of Molly Sopuok, 38, and Todd Prom, 38, in a Cambodian home. Bronx, New York. Sept. 2011.''

''Cambodian Buddhist temple in the Bronx, New York, which was collectively founded and financed in 1981 by community members shortly after their arrival in America. There is little engagement by the youth in temple activities, and many elders fear the eventual disappearance of the temples after the passing of the first generation. Bronx, New York, Sept. 2011.''

''Living room of Ung family, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. Apr. 2011.''

''Three generations of the Duong family look at old family photos and documents from the refugee camps for the first time in the living room of their Bronx apartment. For many families, these documents are their only possessions from Cambodia. Bronx, New York, Sept. 2011.''

''Cambodian Buddhist temple in the Bronx, New York during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the passing of In Ma, a Cambodian elder, by her family members, Bronx, New York. Aug. 2011.''

''Phatry Derek Pan, 30, prays at an altar in the backyard of a Cambodian Buddhist temple in the Bronx, New York. The temple was founded in 1981 by Cambodian refugees, who collectively pooled their resources to raise $100,000 within a year of their arrival in the Bronx. Feb. 2011.''

''From left to right, Kaylee Tuy, 2, and Kevin Im, 4, in the living room of their Lowell, Massachusetts home. Feb. 2011.''

'Whats kind of beautiful about photography is that these things are just there, you know, they're always there... but the photos are a manifestation of my own generational, cultural and historical displacement.'

- Pete Pin

Pete Pin is a documentary photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. He was born in a refugee camp after the Cambodian genocide and immigrated as a refugee to California in the mid 1980’s. He was raised in the inner-city of Stockton and Long Beach, California. He kindly shares with NGOinsider his photo essay 'Displaced: The Cambodia Diaspora'.




Many kind thanks to Pete Pin for his discerning images and to Magnum Foundation for their supporting captions. 

For more work by Pete Pin www.petepin.com

For full discussion on 'Displaced: The Cambodian Diaspora' with Pete Pin, Joyce Wong and Ousara Sophouk http://magnumfoundation.org/emergencyfund/projects.php?code=11EF012#START

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