John: Before we get started, 
I am John Dunlap.

I'm the Chief Human Resources Officer 
for the UMass President's Office.

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I'd now like to turn over to 
President Marty Meehan for a brief introduction.

President Meehan.

Marty: Thank you very much 
and good afternoon.

And thank you all for being here. 

I want to thank the DEIA team for creating 
these opportunities for us to come together

and to learn from one another.   
I find them very, very rewarding, stimulating,

and thank you very much for doing that.

You know, as some of you know, 
I grew up and have a connection

to Lowell,  Massachusetts, and
as I introduce our speaker,

there are two places in the United States
where Cambodian Americans,

where they emigrated to.

Both L. A., which is number 1, 
and  Lowell, which is second.

And I think Chanda's story, 
and her family's story

will connect to both of them.

I will tell you as someone growing up
in Lowell

with the influx of 
new Cambodian immigrants,

we got a chance to learn first hand 
from friends that we developed

about the Khmer Rouge, and the Killing Fields,

and the unbelievable history 
and the journey

that folks came from Cambodia 
to the United States.  

It reminds me of a quote 
from James Joyce who once wrote

that those who cross the Atlantic,

that the Atlantic for them 
was a bowl of bitter tears.

I first learned what was going on 
in Cambodia

from a guy named Vesna Nuon,

who worked in the DA's office when 
I was there as a victim witness advocate.

He is now ironically on 
the city council in Lowell,

and one of Lowell's leaders.

The first Cambodian American to get elected 
to public office was a guy named Rithie Uom,

in Lowell actually, not in LA.

And before I introduce Chanda 
I also want to -- I don't know if any of you

have seen Ken Burns' new video 
on immigration in America, and the holocaust.

I would recommend it to all of you
because it is kind of connected to

what we're talking about.
And I think it's really important.

And American holocaust is not 
just about antisemitism

and what we knew in the United States 
and what attitudes were in the United States,

but it's also about immigration

and attitudes towards immigration,

and I would recommend it to all of you.

I want to thank Chanda for her willingness 
to share the story of her family.

A story of a family emerging
from a tragic period of world history

 and making the transition 
to life in the United States.

When we're in the workplace 
I think it's always important to remember

that we're so much more than
just whatever our titles happen to be,

or whatever our job descriptions 
happen to say.

We're all human beings 
that bring a variety of life experiences

that inform our jobs but also 
can enrich our relationships

with our colleagues, so I think gatherings 
like this are important.

With that, let me introduce 
today's speaker, Chanda Wolf.

Chanda, I could talk for a while 
about her contributions to the university,

but I want to be brief 
because I want us to get to the story

of Chanda and her family.

We want to give as much time
 as possible for that.

Chanda currently serves as Special Assistant 
to the President,

and the General Counsel office 
here in the system office,

She holds her undergraduate degree 
from Brandeis in Sociology,

and she also attended Northeastern Law School
and earned her law degree.

She served as an Assistant District Attorney
under then Middlesex County

District Attorney Gerry Leone, 
who is present General Counsel.

At the time, as she was, I believe, 
the first Cambodian American Assistant District Attorney

in the DA's office and maybe any DA's office.

She later worked as a consultant 
for Mayor Harris,

as advisor and assistant
to Vice President Kamala Harris

at the Ford Foundation where her work 
focused on democracy, civil rights and justice.

Chanda is on the 
Board of Adolescent Consultant Services,

an organization that supports and empowers 
court-involved children and families by

providing mental health prevention 
and intervention services.

She is also active in Emerge Massachusetts,
women leaders for a democratic future,

which has trained more than 4,000 women 
to run for office since 2002.

What an impact it has had.   
In the first time in Massachusetts history,

we have the democratic nominee
 for  governor and lieutenant governor,

both women, and if I dare 
to make a prediction,

we'll have the first women 
combination of governor, lieutenant governor,

attorney general, and auditor, 
as well as state treasurer,

which is an incredible feat.

As you'll soon hear from her,
her impressive resume

is just a small part of her story 
and that of her family.

Her family's story is a real-life story 
of courage, perseverance, and  service.

And I know it's going to be very, very moving.

Please welcome Chanda Wolf.

John: Thank you, thank you, Marty.

And Chanda, before you begin, 
just a word to folks.

When Chanda begins her presentation, 
it will include a prerecorded video presentation.

You can anticipate you will probably 
need to turn the volume up

on your computer for 
that section of the presentation.

Thank you very much. 
 Chanda.

Chanda: Thank you, John, and thank you, 
Marty, for your warm welcome

and for this opportunity 
to share my story.

Before I get started, I want to give 
a shout-out to my sister Christy

who is with us today.  
She'd been living abroad

with her family for 15 plus years.  
And now she's finally back in the states.

Christy's husband has served in 
the U.S. Air Force for now almost 20 years.

I just want to say thank you 
for your service and sacrifice, Christy,

and thank you for being with me 
on life's journey.

And I want to take a moment of silence 
to remember all those that we have lost to war.

And now to the slides,  John?

Unspeakable Truths. A family's survival from 
Cambodia's The Killing Fields.

The Cambodian national anthem
is playing in the background.

It was composed in 1939 
based on a Khmer folk tune.

The song is known as the Royal Kingdom.

The background image is skulls found 
in the mass graves in The Killing Fields.

So why share your story?

Because as Maya Angelou puts it best -

There is no greater agony
 than bearing an untold story inside you.

In this image, two Cambodian women are crying.

One woman is holding a baby.  
With two others behind them

looking over war-ravaged Cambodia.

Here is my story.

Since realizing that I had committed 
to my story telling,

I reached out to Rolan Joffe, 
who is a British director

and producer of 
film and television,

but known for the academy award 
winning film, The Killing Fields.

I wrote him with the understanding 
that I might not get a response.

But Roland's character is telling.  
He cares.

Here's his response as to why he chose 
to work on the project The Killing Fields.

Hi Chanda, sorry to be 
slow to responding,

but I am very busy 
at present.

My thoughts on making 
the Killing Fields were:

that it was a hidden story 
that needed to be told.

That it was not the first time
the Khmer poor had suffered under

military intervention, as the reliefs
at Ankor show.

That this was as much a story 
about brotherly love

as it was a film about a war.

Please give my respects to your parents.  
Take care. Roland Joffe.

Now here's a preview of the film 
"The Killing Fields,"

approximately 2 and a half  minutes long.

Narrator: Cambodia, to many westerners 
seemed a paradise, another world, a secret world.

But the war in neighboring Vietnam
burst its borders

and the fighting soon spread 
to neutral Cambodia.

In 1973, I went to cover 
the side show struggle

as foreign correspondent 
of "The New York Times."

It was there in the war torn 
country side and the fighting.

between government troops
and the Khmer Rouge Gorillas

that I met my guide 
and interpreter, Dith Pran,

a man who was 
to change my life

in a country 
that I grew to love and pity.

[Helicopter blades churn in the background].

This is a big story, a major story.  
You understand that?

[Helicopter blades churn again].

If the war keeps going like this,  
 the future could be very bad.

[Bullets and helicopter blades can be heard]

I have arranged  for the evacuation 
of you and your family.

So now it's up to you. 
What do you want to do?

Narrator: In a country shattered by war --

[Explosions].

U.S. bombs, you sure?

I think many, many dead. 
I don't  know.

Narrator: And torn by revolution.

[The boom of an explosion].

After what the Khmer Rouge 
have been through,

I don't think they are going to 
be exactly affectionate  to us Westerners.

Two men would learn
the price of survival.

[Guns firing and loud explosions].

They say when the place goes up,
a lot of people will get killed.

Narrator: Of freedom.

Change the photograph 
for a photograph of Pran

and he's a British Subject.

And friendship.

All photojournalists are going
to leave Cambodia.

I won't leave you.

[Loud, panicked music].

I am trying to escape right now.

[Loud, aggressive shouting].

You know, Pran is not going to last
5 minutes out there.

[Gun shots and screams].

Narrator: One would leave to tell his story,

and win the Pulitzer prize 
for international reporting.

Anyone who knows my work 
will know

that half of this belongs to
Dith Pran.

Narrator: One would stay 
to face his destiny,

and make his escape 
to freedom.

But both would never forget 
what they saw.

Nobody gets to go in there. 
If I thought I could, I would.

What they felt,
what they experienced,

in "The Killing Fields."

[Sharp, haunting background music].

Chanda: So where exactly is Cambodia?

To give some context,
Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia,

mostly referred to at that time 
as Indochina.

It is bordered to the west by Thailand, 
to the north by Laos, and east by Vietnam.

It currently has a Population
of about 16 million people.

The capital is Phnom Penh.

And it is also known as 
the kingdom of Cambodia.

So let's  go over today's topics.

In order to give a better idea 
of what happened to my family,

I'll start with some facts  
about Cambodia.

And then go over the timeline 
of events that led to the war in 1975.

I will then address the U.S. involvement 
in the anti-war movement.

I will go into detail about the rise 
of the Pol Pot's regime  and the Killing Fields.

Later, I will briefly discuss the refugee camps
and resettlement in another country.

and then I'll conclude with some data
we have today with highlights

and the UMass connection. 

Cambodia was a  French colony 
from 1863 to 1953.

French colonial rule lasts 
for 90 years.

My great grandmother, Phnom Penh,
was born in 1905.

She lived through French colonial rule 
until 1953.

Something to note here is that
 many Cambodian people suffered

greatly from French forces.

During the initial occupation, 
the French troops considered themselves

to be in a conquered country.

and the inhabitants had to suffer 
all the calamities of a state of war.

Thefts from private homes 
and from pagodas.

Assassinations.
Rapes.

such behavior inevitably brought 

the greatest part of the population

to oppose the French. 

The king of Cambodia is 
the head of state.

The king's power is limited 
to that of a symbolic figure head

to whom people are 
to give love and respect.

The current king is 
Norodom Sihamoni.

The monarch represents peace, stability, 
and prosperity to the Khmer people. 

(Silence as slides are switched).

The 1960s was a tumultuous decade 
in Southeast Asia.

As the United States deepened 
it's involvement in Vietnam,

U.S. and Cambodia relations 
began to fray.

The prince at the time, 
Sihanouk Norodom,

made it clear that he would 
prioritize the Cambodian interest

and national identity 
over all over are other agendas.

This image here of JFK with Sihanouk
of Cambodia

in the President Suite of the 
Carlyle Hotel in New York City, 1961.

JFK tried to salvage the situation
by sending former

Secretary of State Dean Acheson 
to Cambodia.

Acheson was the 51st Secretary of State 
and a consummate statesman.

He was practical and imaginative, 
He had a great skill managing conflict

through nonviolent means
but this never happens.

On November 22, 1963, 
JFK was assassinated.

Cambodia won its independence 
from France in 1953,

officially ending 90 years 
of colonial control.

Sihanouk returned from exile 
to lead the new country.

He later steps down from the throne  
to become prime minister in 1955

and there was relative peace 
from 1955 to 1970.

However, while Sihanouk was beloved 
by many Cambodians,

his often authoritarian rule gave rise 
to underground opposition.

And in the 1960s, a small group of Cambodians,
led by Pol Pot,

secretly formed the communist party 
of Kampuchea.

This movement would become known 
as the Khmer Rouge or the Red Khmer.

(Silence as the slides are switched).

U.S. involvement in bombs over Cambodia.

The impact of this bombing
is the subject of much debate.

Civilian casualties in Cambodia 
drove an enraged populace into the arms

of an insurgency that had enjoyed relatively 
little support until the bombing began.

The bombing sets into motion the expansion 
of the Vietnam war deeper into Cambodia.

(Silence as slides change).

As you now know, the U.S. was heavily involved 
in Cambodia's war.

The antiwar movement began 
mostly on college campuses.

As members of the leftist organization,
 students for a democratic society,

SDS, began organizing teachings 
to express their opposition

to the way in which it was being conducted. 
Critics had begun to question

the government's assertion that it was 
fighting a democratic war

to liberate the South Vietnamese people 
from communist oppression.

Under  the draft system, 
as many as  40,000 young men

were called into service each month,
adding fuel to the fire of the antiwar movement.

(Silence as slides are switched).

The Khmer Rouge had its origins in the 1960s
as the armed wing of Communist Party of Kampuchea.

The name that the communists 
use for Cambodia. 

Based In remote jungle and mountain areas 
in the northeast of the country,

the group initially made little headway.

But after a right wing military coup toppled 
the head of state, Sihanouk, in 1970,

the Khmer Rouge entered into a political
coalition with Sihanouk

and began to attract 
increasing support.

The image here is from 1975 - 
a once busy capital, Phnom Penh, empty,

forcing city dwellers to leave 
to the countryside.

(Silence as slides are switched).

This image is of a high school used 
as a torture and interrogation center.

it is difficult to give precise figures 
for how many people lost their lives

during the genocide in Cambodia.

People died through starvation, 
disease, and exhaustion.

Thousands were executed.

Estimates of the number of people 
murdered range from 1 to 3 million.

(Silence as slides are switched).

Men, women, and children went through 
this interrogation site, which became known as S21.

Meticulous records and photographs of interrogation,  
and torture, and executions were taken.

It is estimated that approximately 
20,000 men, women, and children were imprisoned

during the years of the genocide.

Those incarcerated here were many current 
or former Khmer Rouge party members

or officials and their families who were 
accused of betraying the party.

(Silence as slides are switched).

The Killing Fields are a number
of mass grave sites in Cambodia

where collectively more than 2 million 
to 3 million people were killed and buried

by the Khmer Rouge regime.

Here are the sites. 
The little red circles were often pits

the executed dug up themselves 
before being executed.

"To keep you is no gain.  
To lose you is no loss,"

a Khmer Rouge warning. 

(Silence as slides are switched).

From the Killing Fields to the Vietnam invasion 
to border camps to holding centers

and for some no welcome.

After four years of war, 
and fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979

a max exodus began.

Many risked their lives again to trek through 
mountainous jungles war-ravaged Cambodia

eating anything they could find
and finding footprints  before them,

and hoping not to step on land mines 
that were placed by different factions.

widely concentrated in 
the rural northwest of the country,

especially along the Thai border, 
known as the K5.

(Silence as slides are switched).

This is an aerial view of Khao-I-Dang, 
the holding center, 1983.

This camp opened in 1979 
after the fall of the Khmer Rouge

and became one of the most enduring 
refugee camps on the Thai-Cambodia border.

At its peak, the huge compound of bamboo and 
thatch houses sheltered nearly 140,000 refugees.

It closed in 1993.

An estimated 200,000 refugees 
passed through the camp,

some of them returning to Cambodia 
when the situation improved.

Others resettling to third countries, 
including Australia, France, and the United States.

Thailand's Khao-I-Dang camp offers lessons 
in life saving coordination

during the Cambodian exodus and 
responsibility sharing to help rebuild refugees' lives.

(Silence as slides are switched).

Thank you John.
Let's talk a little bit about this data.

The following maps here highlight 
the Cambodian American population

who were displaced to America 
after the Killing Fields.

Note that Cambodian Americans live in 
all 50 states in the United States.

And take a look at the top 10 here.

California, as Marty mentioned,
has the highest Cambodian American population.

And from the West Coast to the East Coast, 
you now have Lowell, Massachusetts,

or Massachusetts in general, 
as the second biggest population.

Now if you go 
down a little bit more,

there are more details on education and poverty levels
 of Cambodian Americans in Massachusetts.

Please feel free to visit this site for more details
as it  relates to poverty

and it's a reflection 
of educational attainment.

(Silence as presentation is brought back up).

We are not as disconnected 
as we may appear.

We are actually more connected 
than we realize.

Here are some highlights on 
the connection to the city of Lowell

and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

I will begin with Paul Tsongas,
who grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts.

He caught the public service fever 
from JFK.

Through his Washington years, 
he had are a red phone connection

to Lowell City Hall and made 
the city's rebirth his passion.

It became an article 
of faith with him.

that one must honor the toil 
of past generations and respect

the potential of future generations.

The reclaiming of Lowell 
came to symbolize that faith.

Tsongas embodied the "Don't Quit" 
character of Lowell

that explains in part 
the communities resurgence.

And as Marty puts in the Lowell Sun in 2007,

"The whole Lowell way of doing things 
was something Paul created, he says.

And he set a high standard in Congress. 
He had a propensity

for being two or three steps ahead of 
what was unfolding nationally or internationally.

His ethics were always very high.

So in Lowell and elsewhere, Cambodian Americans 
embody the "Don't Quit" attitude.

But the embodiment is most prevalent
 in Lowell,  Mass, and UMass.

(Silence as slides are closed out).

John: Thank you, Chanda.

Now we have presented some panelists 
to ask some initial questions.

And then Jacquie Kittler will open it up 
to a general Q &A, if we have time.

Please use the Q&A function.

If we are able to get to your question, 
we'll work on answering them.

If  we're not able to get to them, we'll work on 
getting them answered after the presentation.

For the first question, 
I'd like to turn to Som Seng.

Som: Hi, I am Som Seng with UMass Online.

Before I ask my question, 
Chanda, I wanted to applaud you,

for sharing your story, 
and the Cambodian history.

Being Cambodian myself,
we have similar experiences,

which connects us in a powerful  way.  
So thank you for your courage,

As this is a hard story to share, 
but a very important one to tell.

With that said, here's my question.

What motivated you to tell your story?

Chanda: Thank you, Som.

Well, President Meehan, who always knew 
I had the story in me

initiated the conversation
 and Sue Kelly in her patient unyielding way

asked if this is something
I would feel comfortable sharing.

And then John Dunlap took the reins, 
knowing that this was something

that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
was working on doing more of.

And here we are.

Thank you, Som.

John: Great. Go ahead Meeta.

Meeta: Hi, Meeta Gill from Internal Audit.

And my question is Chanda, 
where were you born and raised?

Chanda: Thank you, Meeta.
I was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

When my family first settled
in America,

we were sent to Birmingham , Alabama.  
Note the setting here.

Only about 20 years earlier Martin  Luther King Jr.
was arrested and sent to jail

because he and others were protesting 
the treatment of Blacks in Birmingham, Alabama.

So from war, to refugee camps,
and now resettlement in America,

you can see how difficult it might have been
for my family, who had very little formal education

due to war itself and 
very little resources in the community.

After we left Alabama, 
we moved to Georgia.

And then we moved to Long Beach, California, 
and then on to Lowell, Massachusetts.

John:  Next question, Cheryl Millett.

Cheryl:  Hi, I am Cheryl Millett 
from Human Resources.

Chanda, who in your family survived the war?

Chanda: Thank you, Cheryl.

My great grandmother on my father's side, 
survived, born in 1905.

My grandmother on of my father's side,
my great grandmother's only daughter survived.

My father survived.

My mother survived.

My sister, who was  born 
during the war, survived.

Our losses.

On my father's side, 
all of his brothers died.

My mother, who had two daughters 
pass away from poison

after they had wandered off 
because they were so hungry.

Thank you, Cheryl.

John: Next question, Brian Girard.

Brian: Brian Girard with the UPST.

Chanda thank you very much 
for sharing such a powerful story.

My question is how did your family 
survive the Killing Fields?

Chanda: Thank you, Brian.

So it was a harrowing escape.

My father grew up in 
northwest Cambodia,

so he was familiar with 
the Thai Cambodian border.

He was sent to different prison camps.

Every time he was told by the Khmer Rouge 

guard to write his autobiography.

And this is something 
they did often.

And they would say 
this is for the organization's records.

And please provide everything,
from your work

to where you were born, 
to how many siblings you have.

And he always wrote that 
he was a farmer.

Which was true.

But he never, ever admitted 
he was also a soldier

for the former U.S. backed 
Lon Nol government,

who he worked for 
from 1970 to 1975.

My mother worked in the labor camps 
with her young daughter, my sister.

They survived on watery porridge 

and some days soup made of banana leaves

and occasionally they

(Inhale of breath)

-- because of hunger pangs,

(Sound of mouth moving emotionally)

they actually risked their  lives 
to try to find more food and

oftentimes if you were caught,
this would be a death sentence.

(Silence).

John: Thanks Chanda. 
I would like to turn to Megan Momtaheni.

Megan: Hello, everyone. 
My name is Megan Momtaheni from UITS.

Chanda, you showed us an image of the United Nations 
high Commissioner for Refugee's Holding center,

Khao I Dang. Could you tell us how 
your family got to that center?

(Silence).

Chanda: Thank you, Megan.

My mother and father and sister trekked 
night and day for many days through the jungles

eating bark, wild mushrooms 
and anything they could find.

And, again, due to 
my father's place of birth,

he was aware of a lots of the routes
 that were safer to get to.

But not entirely safe, 
because although they were tired,

they were always mindful 
of each step they took

because land mines 
were placed throughout the region,

and one step would 
cost you your life.

(Silence)

John: Thank you.  
Next  question, Ismael Carreras?

Ismael: Ismael Carreras. 
Academic Affairs.

Chanda, how long did your family 
stay in Khao I Dang

and when were they sponsored 
to come to America?

Chanda: Thank you, Ismael.

So my family stayed in 
Khao I Dang for about two years,

1979 to 1981.

My father had submitted 
resettlement forms

to France, Australia, 
and the United States.

And after waiting for about two years 
they were accepted to resettle in the United States.

And we arrived in the United States  
in September of 1981.

(Silence)

John: Next question.  
Sara MacKenzie.

Sara: Hi, I'm Sara McKenzie.
I'm on the Budget Team.

Chanda, how does your family's experience
 effect your life today?

(Silence)

Chanda: Thank you, Sara.

The tragedy continues.

My mother suffers from 
post traumatic stress disorder,

and suffered a very severe stroke.

My father turned to alcohol.

And my brother, who was born
 in the refugee camp in 1980,

committed suicide in 2016.

But through all of this, 
I am learning to forgive,

and through this story,
I am looking to heal.

(Silence)

John: And our next question, 
Gerry Leone.

Gerry: Thank you John. I'm Gerry Leone 
of the General Counsel here at UMass.

But more importantly, I am 
long time good friend of Chanda Wolf.

Long before she met Matt Wolf. 
And before Benny and Mia.

And Chanda, I want to say before I give 
my last question here,

I am very proud of you.

You have exhibited an inspirational story, 
personal fortitude.

And I have been very fortunate 
to witness a lot of it.

So very proud of you.

Chanda, what do you want people 
to take away from your story?

Chanda: Thank you, Gerry.

I value your mentorship,  
your friendship, and everything else.

This is a difficult question, 
and somewhat emotional one.

I want to continue the conversation,

and never forget this tragedy 
that so many would like to ignore.

Although the world is much better 
informed today about the Killing Fields,

I feel that I've only scratched 
the surface in learning my  own family's survive.

This is a personal family history that was likely 
not intentionally kept away from me.

 I believe my mother and father thought 
it would harm us more than hurt us.

I mean harm us more than help us.

If they were to shed light on such 
tremendous darkness

as they lived through 
hell on earth.

But as I've learned, as I've been digging 
deeper into my family's past,

this frightening period is helping me
to learn about myself,

my identity, who I am 

and why my story matters

and why these unspeakable truths 
must be told.

I hope by joining me today 
you recognize that I am,

by many circumstances, 
hope and aspiration

for all those who perished 
under the Khmer Rouge regime.

It is my greatest desire to uphold the gift 
of life that was given to me by chance

and I say by chance 
because my father was given

many death sentences 
throughout his life.

But somehow he was spared.

And I can think of no other reason 
than to give me life

so that I may be the voice 
he never had.

The loss of so many 
shattered our history.

It was Pol Pot's goal 
to do just that.

But he has not destroyed all of us, 
and we are still here.

So thank you everyone for joining.

John: Thank you so much.

We do have time for questions 
and answers now.

I am going to turn to 
Jacquie Kittler and Cheryl Millett,

who will help facilitate 
the questions.

Jacquie:  Thank you, John 
and thank you, Chanda.

We do have one question from 
Katherine Newman that was sent early on.

Pretty sure you answered the question.

Chanda, how did your own family 
come through this experience?

Chanda: Well, just to give 
a little bit of background,

because there's a lot of overlapping 
things that went on in the past.

So 1970, 1975, my father is part 
of the Lon Nol government,

this is coup that toppled 
the king's administration.

So Khmer Rouge comes 
into the power in 1975,

and overtakes the government 
with the king's support.

He changes allegiance believing 
that this might be an opportunity

for him to stabilize 
the government.

But what ends up happening is 
that he is supporting a leader

who ends up killing approximately
 a quarter of the Cambodian population.

Throughout the entire war,

I asked my father, so 
how did you get through all of this?

And he has never once -- 
in his humility and his humbleness --

He says to me, 
"I was tortured, I was tormented,

I starved, but everyone else  
had the same sufferings.

One did not suffer more 
than the other."

And so he still has 
this collective suffering,

and he takes no responsibility 
for his survival.

And he suffers greatly, 
because he is the only survivor

out of the four boys 
that his mother had.

And it just kind of reminds me 
of a band of brothers,

when you go out and 
try to save that one last brother.

It's a reminder again,

God must have spared him 
for this reason.

(Silence)

Jacquie:  Thanks, Chanda. Follow up question
from Katherine Newman.

Yesterday, the last surviving 
Khmer Rouge leader lost his appeal

in the courts of the United Nations.  
He is 91 years old.

Do you think this will make a difference?

(Silence)

Chanda: Thank you, Katherine.

I believe it will, and I believe 
it does make a difference.

However, he was able to live a long life.

And many millions of people,
under these people's watch,

lives were cut short.  
I don't think that it's fair,

but I do believe that 
there is a desire for justice.

Though I am not sure that 
this is considered justice.

(Silence).

Jacquie:  Thank you, Chanda.

We have a question from one of the co-hosts.

Chanda, can you talk about why 
The Killing Fields is critical to watch,

and a little bit about the 
Cambodian American lead actor casting.

(Silence)

Chanda: So Dith Pran who is played by 
actually a surviving Cambodian American --

plays his role. He had never 
been an actor, as you know.

But I believe 
watching an interview

he says I got an MA for four years  
under the Khmer Rouge,

so I know exactly what happened 
and how to behave.

And so it is breathtaking.

You watch it, and you get 
goose bumps and chills

because you have to understand that anyone 
could have perished right in front of you.

You yourself could
have easily dug your own grave

and been the next victim in that grave.

But it's also current history.

The Boston Globe just published an article today, 
as Katherine just mentioned.

So watching it will give you 
a good sense of what happened,

but it also should be a reminder
that the United States was heavily involved.

And so we shouldn't isolate ourselves 
as this was the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields,

because there was so much involvement 
on behalf of the United States.

(Silence)

Jacquie:  Thanks, Chanda.

Shahriar would like to say thank you for 
your courage in sharing your story.

UMass is better because you are here.

Preethi - I want  to thank you Chanda 
for sharing this powerful story.

I heard you talk about
the many difficulties Cambodians faced

upon settling in the United States,

such as having few transferable job skills, 
lack of English, and experienced trauma

as refugees, and genocide survivors.

The factors impacted overall household income
after resettlement.

What can we as a community do
to alleviate these difficulties?

Chanda: What a wonderful place to be.  
The University of Massachusetts.

You know if we can get more 
Cambodian Americans

to have some form of higher education, 
I think that will in itself reflect a difference

in what is currently 
the poverty levels that we see.

I believe Preethi showed me 
some data on poverty

and I believe Cambodian Americans 
live under that.

And so speaking personally,

we lived probably on 
$1,000 a month,

in subsidized housing, five kids.

That's $1,000 a month between -- 
we think of inflation today, right?

But you go back here a little bit. 
$1,000 a day between rent,

food, clothes, all other items 
in a household.

That was a stretch.

And so it's really important that 
we help high school students

who are on the verge
 of dropping out to continue.

And hopefully, they will be able to intern 
to a two-year and then a four-year college.

(Silence)

Jacquie:  This is an anonymous question.

What was your family's experience 
when they arrived to the U.S.?

Did they experience a welcome 
or was it difficult?

(Silence).

Chanda: There was some welcome.  
And it was difficult.

Racism and prejudice takes different forms.

And the limited, I think the limited English 
they had at the time

definitely helped them get through,
because the words that were

probably being thrown 
at them at the time,

probably were words 
you didn't want to hear anyway.

And so there are 
many instances where

my mother and father wore 
traditional garbs, earlier on,

where people would drive by 

and tell them to go back to their country.

And my mother was robbed 
many times, just walking.

Just somebody stealing 
her necklace or her bracelet.

My father had to protect his self
when he was putting gas in  the car

with kids in the back. 
(Voice becomes choked up).

So these are all the experiences
that someone could possibly go through,

and that's just a small snippet.

(Silence)

Jacquie:  Next question was from Shariar.

How has UMass done in supporting the generation of 
Cambodian students who come of age?

Chanda: Well, I think there are 

many things that are done.

The slides with Paul Tsongas and Marty, 
you understand that

the federal government and state 
has  really looked into agencies

that would be able to help  
Cambodian Americans here.

I just want to go -- 
one of the slides basically had Marty --

there was federal funding that put 
money into the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association

here in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Things like that make a difference.  
And things like that help people directly.

And so I think if we can have more 
of that, and more creative ways

to get money out to the right places, 
I think it makes a difference.

It all makes a difference.

Marty: I think Chanda, 
if I could just comment.

We need to do more in other words, 
I don't think the United States

or the city -- we all can do a lot more 
is my point on that.

Chanda: Thank you, Marty.

And you know,
I just want to say,

when reading all of the things 
that Paul Tsongas did initially

to kind of revive Lowell,  and then 
having you continue on

in that model, 
is incredible.

Growing up in Lowell,
I didn't see

that Lowell could be this way 
in the future.

And it is because of, 
I think, and I believe

your investment
in the community.

Going back to a place where
 you know that there is a deep desire

for immigrant parents 
to want their children to do better,

to be in a safer environment
 and for people to care.

And so I feel like 
you've done your part,

and now we have to start 
figuring out ways

where other people 
can start doing their part.

(Silence)

Jacquie:  Thanks, Chanda.  
Another anonymous question.

Do you see any parallels
with your family's story,

and current political unrest and wars

that have resulted in many refugees

leaving their home countries,  
 such as Ukraine and Venezuela?

Chanda: Yes. I was just talking 
about this with someone.

Rwanda, Cambodia, Ukraine, 
we're not so different.

It is just things happening in 
different time periods.

That's what's different.

 You know, war is going on.
people are dying.

People are trying to find 
some place to be safe.

No one wants to 
leave their home country.

 But we do it because we want 
more for our own children.

And we want them to be able 
to live in a place that has peace.

 That there is the ability for education 
and for some form of upward mobility.

And so, yes, it's  happening, 
and we have to --

in our own way -- there are small ways 
to contribute to make the world a better place,

and that could be simply be being
 more warm and kind to those arriving.

Smiling.  
Being more welcoming.

These are all acts of kindness 
that anyone can do.

It's not -- it doesn't cost  you anything.

(Silence).

John: Jacquie, we have time for 
one more question.

Jacquie:  A question from Debora Ferreira.

Thank you so much 
for sharing your story.

How do you think this experience shaped you 
to focus on DEIA throughout your life?

Also, since Asian Americans are being targeted 
due to racism, discrimination,

how can we do our part 
to make changes?

Chanda: Thank you, Debora.

I think just what I mentioned 
a little bit earlier.

I throughout my own life have 
experienced many, many unkind words

that many say to me.

And sometimes it's intentional.
Sometimes it's not.

Sometimes it's just not knowing.

But DEIA is something that I believe 
should just simply be ingrained

in organizations, because we don't always 
recognize that there are things

that we could all be working on 
to improve people's lives.

And I think DEIA is just a small portion 
of what we could be doing better.

John: Thank you.

Chanda, thank you so much for 
sharing your story, which

 I think was a profound experience 
for all of us to listen to.

I would like to welcome you to 
make some concluding comments, if you'd like.

(Silence).

Chanda: Thank you, John.

So thank you, John for supporting me, 
John Dunlap,  throughout this process.

Kristina, Tracy, Preethi, thank you for the data.

And the entire DEIA team. You rock.  
And you helped me share my story.

And through this process, I am realizing 
it absolutely takes a village.

What started with a simple, 
would you like to share your story

evolved into a deeply personal project.

And I want to thank
President Meehan.

This opportunity would not the possible  without his support and dedication

to the Cambodian American people.  

And thank you Marty for giving
me a chance to tell my story.

Thank you to Sue Kelly
who has been so encouraging.

Marcie, who keeps showing up
for events from retirement.

People matter.  
Thank you, Marcy.

The executive team.
Gerry and the OGC.

And again all of my DEIA colleagues 
and UMass for showing up.

Thank you, because 
you believe in learning,

and growing, and creating a positive, 
inclusive, and challenging environment,

motivating us to constantly examine 
difficult and important issues.

So thank you.

John: And hank you.  

Thank you to the President's Office, 
DEIA Team for sponsoring the  event,

and to our event planning committee,
Jacquie Kittler, Cheryl Millett, Kristina England,

and the DEIA team. Also, John Dawson and Julie Kenny 
from the customer service team.

Thank you to Preethi Lodha and Tracy Axelson
for the interactive data content that was provided today.

and thank you to Carolynn 
for the captions and the transcript.

And most importantly, 
thank you again to Chanda,

and to all of you for joining us today. 
Thank you.

Marty: Great job, Chanda.

Chanda: Thank you, Marty,
And thank you so much for joining.