December 2, 2019 IN: Our Voices, Staff Blog
$40 for 40 Years starts today – will you join us?
Keep us strong in 2020 and the next 40 years!
Today, we’re kicking off our second annual end-of-year weeklong fundraising campaign, with a goal of raising $15,000 by this Friday, December 6. Each day of this week, we’ll be describing the ways that our current network of SEARAC supporters have helped sustain our efforts to uplift the voices of the Southeast Asian American community in DC, in Sacramento, and across the country through our local partnerships and incredible advocates.
This past year wasn’t just our 40th birthday year, it was also the 20th year of hosting our Leadership and Advocacy Training program. Bunthay Cheam is a 1.5 generation Khmer American born in the Khao I Dang refugee camp. As an organizer with the Khmer Anti-deportation Advocacy Group of Washington (KhAAG), he wanted to fight back against immigration issues that have broken families with huge rippling effects. Bunthay applied for LAT to broaden his engagement with the SEAA community, beyond his own bubble.
“I think the successes we had were based on years of experience and institutional knowledge shared amongst different parts of the Khmer diaspora, and I was eager to meet some of these people that had blazed the trail on a national level. I was part of the immigration track of LAT 2019. I honestly didn’t know what to expect or how things would roll. But I knew I needed to connect with folks that I had read of from afar and/or heard of. And honestly, it was that and more.”
Read more of Bunthay’s reflections here, along with blog posts from fellow LAT 2019 participants Lily Nhoisaykham and Mailee Yang. Bunthay, Lily, and Mailee join our powerful network of 1,200-plus LAT alumni. Our long-term vision is to offer these trainings in even more locations.
With your donation, together we can build out our LAT experience and continue to serve as a stepping stone for new generations of passionate advocates.
Join me and donate today by clicking here.
Alternatively, you can also mail a check to (memo line: 40for40):
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
c/o Kelsey Hendrixson
1628 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Thank you for building future leaders. Because of you, together we can empower the Southeast Asian American community to demand for the change that our community deserves.
In partnership,
Quyen Dinh
Executive Director
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
P.S. Start your own fundraiser and get entered into a raffle to win an Apple iPad or equivalent value ($330) gift card. Donate $40, and you’ll receive a limited edition SEARAC sticker (see below). Donate $200, and we’ll send you a 2020 Census tote so you can help get out the count in your community!
