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Students in California’s public schools will soon be able to begin learning about Cambodia’s rich history and colorful culture after the state passed a law in October launching a model curriculum that will be replicated across the state.
The sponsors of SB 369, a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) earlier this month, hope other states will adopt the curriculum. The bill seeks to fund the creation of a Cambodian curriculum by 2024, as well as separate Vietnamese and Hmong language programs.
Democratic Sen. Lena Gonzalez, whose district includes Long Beach, California, home to the largest Cambodian community outside of Cambodia, said officials in Massachusetts, the state with the second-largest Cambodian-American community in the Northeast, have also expressed interest.
“We’re happy to know that we started an idea here … and now it’s spreading to other places around the country,” the state lawmaker said.
The Orange County School Board has been contracted to develop the curriculum, which will be rolled out across the state. It plans to have it completed by June 2024, said Vicky Nguyen, a spokeswoman for the school board.
“Next, OCDE will take the lead in rolling out the curriculum to ensure interested educators have the resources and support they need to implement it effectively,” Vicky Nguyen told VOA Khmer.
This model course will provide teachers with everything they need to integrate Cambodian cultural history and curriculum into their lessons or classes, such as lesson plans, key documents, and teaching strategies.
“Cambodia has a lot to offer”
Richthida Bovannak, 20, was one of the young Cambodians who participated in community discussions during the development of the bill. She studies fashion at UC Long Beach and grew up in the city. Although she grew up surrounded by Cambodian culture and frequently visits Cambodia Town in Long Beach, she said her homeland was rarely mentioned in class at the school she attends.
“They’ll mention it once, like, oh, Vietnam and Cambodia are next door. That might be the only place mentioned. And I’ll be like, gosh, I wish they would talk about Apsara or Angkor Wat, that would be so cool for my classmates,” she said, referring to Cambodia’s classical dance and iconic ancient temple complex.
“So hearing that now students might learn more about the rich cultures of other parts of Southeast Asia…it will definitely make them more aware of other cultures that exist. Even though we are small, we are still as important as other countries,” Richthida Bovannak told VOA Khmer.
The Cambodia course was originally launched in 2018 and focuses on the genocide in Cambodia in the 1970s, when approximately 2 million Cambodians were killed by the Khmer Rouge in an extreme agrarian revolution.
But that changed earlier this year when the bill was amended to expand its focus to include Cambodia’s entire historical and cultural heritage, a change championed by Leakhena Nou, a Cambodian-American sociology professor at the University of California, Long Beach.
Richthida Bovannak said she also thinks it’s important to look at Cambodia’s history from a broader perspective, including the experiences of Cambodian Americans like herself.
“I think Cambodia has a lot to offer in terms of art. Even from the beginning — like the Golden Age of Cambodia before the genocide — that was a rich time for art and expression,” she said.
“When you go there, there’s so much architecture, so many special fabrics, jewelry, dance, and I think there are so many aspects of it that are so beautiful that haven’t been shared with the world yet. I think when people really learn about it, they’re surprised.”
Sovana Pouf has similar memories, recalling that his home country was often mentioned in school — rarely, and mostly in connection with the Vietnam War. As a field representative in Senator Gonzalez’s office, he said he’s proud to be contributing to changing that for the next generation.
“From my personal experience, a lot of people’s knowledge of Cambodia dates back to the genocide or Angkor Wat,” he said, adding that this also applies to his fellow Cambodians of the “1.5 generation,” the children of immigrants and refugees.
“We look forward to seeing this come to fruition and for our children to learn in detail about our history, not only about the dark times but also about the bright times before and after the genocide,” said Sovana Puff.
“We hope this will educate people about the country’s history … and make people understand why people in the Khmer community are so proud of our history and so fascinated by our culture, why we hold on to it, why we don’t want to give it up.”
The road ahead is bumpy
Sociology professor Leakhena Nou began pushing for a broadened legislative focus in 2022. She ultimately drafted new language that was largely adopted in a revised bill in March, just in time for the bill’s deadline to become law this year.
But she isn’t celebrating the bill’s passage. She says its sponsors — state Sen. Janet Nguyen (R) and Gonzalez — are taking credit for her work and denying her a role in writing history.
“They are deceiving the Cambodian people,” she said of the sponsors. “I say this to all the Cambodian people who are listening. I ask you to challenge these politicians and ask them where this bill originated from. Who drafted this bill, who pushed for this amendment?”
Leakhena Nou wrote two open letters in December 2022 and May 2023, first asking for legislation to be amended to expand its authority beyond the Khmer Rouge, and then asking for due credit for her contribution.
Gonzalez told VOA Khmer earlier this month that Lekhna No was one of many voices that contributed to the final outcome.
“She was very active in bringing her ideas to bear on this issue,” the senator said, noting that other academics, grassroots advocates and community groups were also involved.
“But I don’t know what else she really needs from us because we’ve been right there with her, holding her hand and listening to her every step of the way,” the senator added.
Nareth Muong, a Khmer language services specialist for the city of Long Beach, said he became involved in the debate over the bill around the same time as Leakhena Nou and worked with her to push for the change.
“Dr. Leakhena Nou has been central to the entire process from the beginning,” said Nareth Muong.
However, he added that she “took a very heavy-handed approach to this issue” and left other elders, educators and officials involved in the process “feeling unhappy with the way she handled these issues.”
“But to exclude her by not really recognizing her work. To me. That’s unethical,” he said.
Ultimately, the Cambodia-focused program will be the first of its kind in a U.S. public school, “which is really a big deal,” he explained.
Gonzalez noted that Cambodian-American history recently opened a new chapter in Long Beach, with Suli Saro becoming the first Cambodian elected to the city council, and she said the Cambodian Model Curriculum needs to take that evolution into account.
“I do feel like this is a turning point for us to start thinking more broadly locally about how to elevate the voices of success stories,” she said, noting that Cambodians are also leaders in the arts, academia and dining.
“This applies not just to Long Beach, but to the entire state of California and hopefully the entire country.”
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