"Cambodians in Amherst: A History of the Khmer Community"

Living in a place like Amherst, Massachusetts, it’s easy to feel like you are bombarded by a constant history lesson of pilgrims and tea parties. With indigenous and colonial history right outside your front door, more contemporary stories can struggle to get the spotlight. The Amherst Historical Society is one of many resources for those looking for history that’s lesser known– including a different kind of pilgrimage.

Amherst Media partnered up with the Amherst Historical Society to create its very first “Cambodians in Amherst: The History of the Khmer Community” exhibit. It tells the story of Cambodian refugees, and the local volunteers who helped them during and after the Cambodian genocide of the late 1970s and 80s. Watch videos, hear stories, and interact with historical objects important to the people fortunate and brave enough to start a new life in Massachusetts. 

Amherst Media has been proud to help curate and spread the word about this exhibit and its message. Cambodian Amherst Regional High School (ARHS) students were given camera training, allowing them to interview older members of the community about their experiences. Our very own Interim Executive Director, Yanna Ok, who is also a part of the Amherst Cambodian Exhibit Committee, oversaw the camera training, shooting, and editing of the oral histories, as well as the creation of the display boards found throughout the exhibit, featuring archival photos of refugees and their stories. Director of Production, Dave Sondrini has also been integral in producing promos to advertise the exhibit.

While many older immigrants struggled to learn English, face their first North American winter, and find jobs— locals then and now worked to establish a network of support. Today Cambodian Americans who benefit from the work done are using that network, across age and background, to tell their story. Amherst Media is proud to provide resources to help tell that story. We share many thanks to the ARHS students, and all the community volunteers, who made this exhibit as authentic and evocative as it is.

You can see “Cambodians in Amherst” exhibit at the Amherst History Museum, on view every Saturday through November 2nd.

Find out more about the exhibit from these article in the Massachusetts Daily Collegian , Daily Hampshire Gazette , or from the Amherst Historical Society.

The exhibit was made possible by:

Mass Humanities, The Amherst Historical Society, Asian American & Pacific Islanders Commission, Amherst Cultural Council, UMASS, and Amherst Media