Commemorating International Human Rights Day

CHAA staff, Nwe Oo and Dechen Tsering holding up their national flags

On Saturday, December 10, people all over the world celebrated International Human Rights Day, commemorating the Declaration of Human Rights, a universal mandate passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 asserting the rights of all human beings.

There were celebrations in cities all over the world, including San Francisco, where some members of CHAA's staff spoke and marched alongside other activists calling for freedom in Tibet and Burma, as well as for universal human rights of all.

Burmese Wellness Advocate Nwe Oo gives a speech

Nwe Oo, CHAA's Burmese community advocate and refugee activist, spoke in front of a growing crowd at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco. Wearing a colorful and traditional Rakhine dress, Nwe spoke of the need for freedom in her home country of Burma, the coming together of the Occupy movement and international movements for justice and freedom. Other Burmese activists, including Nwe's three year old son, stood by holding signs, banners and balloons calling for a free Burma.

CHAA Community Resources Director,
 Dechen Tsering,
 speaks to the crowd

Next, CHAA's Community Resources Director, Dechen Tsering, surrounded by her fellow free Tibet activists, spoke about the intersection of all human rights movements, from the Occupy movement to LGBTQ rights, economic equality, the Tibetan freedom movement and all progressive movements together throughout the world. 

After the speeches, participants marched towards Market Street, one of the major streets in downtown San Francisco. Half of the road was taken up and hundreds of people matched forward, chanting, singing and waving flags and signs. It was a sea of colors as Tibetan and Burmese flags were waved, alongside homemade flags and clever signs calling for change. 

Protestors near the Union Square Christmas Tree

The group marched up Market Street before moving onto Powell St. in the heart of the shopping district. The crowd settled in Union Square park, across from the massive Macy's retail store where customers crowded around the store windows to watch the activity below. Interestingly, the marchers were right next to the giant Christmas tree in Union Square, bringing out a thoughtful anecdote as to what the true meaning of Christmas may be.

More speeches were given as the crowd cheered and stayed strong. Free Burma and Free Tibet signs stayed up throughout, as the advocates behind them stood proudly behind their causes.

International Human Rights Day is a day of commemoration and reflection. On this day, there were sentiments of unity, solidarity and empathy for all those who suffer within unjust and unfair systems. May these sentiments continue in the work all human rights activists do as we aim to hold up the ideals of this declaration in our every day lives. 

To see more photos of the International Human Rights Day March in San Francisco, click here.

Photographs by S. Nadia Hussain

Written by S. Nadia Hussain

'Rhythm of the Refugee: A Cambodian Journey of Healing' Museum Exhibit

Nhep Prok and local Cambodian musicians at the museum opening

"The intense uprisings started in 1972. I spent many nights in the dugout hearing artillery shells. We started to see dead corpses in the rice fields behind our backyard. By 1973, it was no longer safe to stay in Sung Rieng. My mom put me in a helicopter to Phnom Phem".
-Sambo Ly, President of Cambodia Community Development Inc.

From 1975-1979, two million Cambodians lost their lives during the brutal oppression of the Khmer Rouge, a government led by the notorious dictator Pol Pot. This four year period was marked by political killings, starvation and forced labor. Even children were not spared from these atrocities as Cambodia fell under a regime that looked to establish a dystopian vision of a new Cambodia by orchestrating the elimination of millions of innocent people.

The upheaval of the period led to many Cambodians escaping their country to seek refuge and safety. Some Cambodian refugees were eventually settled in the United States. Oakland became a resettlement area for many of these refugees, as survivors of the war and genocidal regime faced whole new challenges as they settled down in unfamiliar surroundings. The crime and poverty in Oakland, along with issues of acculturation and transition caused many difficulties for this new Cambodian community.

Sotheavy Tan and Sambo Ly, genocide survivors and Cambodian community leaders

Yet the Cambodian community in Oakland looked to heal from these traumas. Organizations such as Cambodian Community Development Inc.  (CCDI) were established by former refugees to promote and support the community. The challenges, triumphs and history of this community is on display at the Peralta Hacienda Historical Park in Oakland, where CHAA, along with other community partners (including CCDI) worked with the museum to collect photographs and stories for the museum exhibit which featured a timeline detailing the history of ancient Cambodia, to the dark days of the Khmer Rouge, to the current Cambodian community living in Oakland.

The museum exhibit opened on Saturday, October 22 and featured performances by members of the local Cambodian Community.  The performances included 92-year-old Nhep Prok, a long time performer in Cambodia who now teaches traditional Cambodian music to younger generations. Nhep Prok and others from the community played traditional instruments for the museum opening audience, displaying an art form that the Khmer Rouge had attempted to destroy years ago.

Cambodian dancers

The performances of the day also included a traditional Cambodian dance, featuring young women in glamorous cultural clothing,  poetry performances and a hip hop performance by local rapper RJ, a young Cambodian American youth leader who uses his cultural heritage and life experience to inspire powerful lyrics and rhymes in his music.

RJ performing for the museum crowd, including Nhep Prok in front

The museum opening was a heartfelt, powerful and bittersweet celebration of both the struggles and triumphs of the Cambodian community in Oakland. The museum display is currently up at the Peralta Hacienda Historical Park where visitors are invited to visit, learn and experience these stories. 


Written by S. Nadia Hussain
Photographs by S. Nadia Hussain

Halloween at CHAA

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is the season for candy, pumpkins, costumes and well...more candy. This year CHAA held a Halloween party along with the local Cambodian Women's Community Group. Pumpkins and goodies were strewn about as Cambodian children and youth carved pumpkins, ate and enjoyed themselves.

The festivities also brought together CHAA staff, many of whom have worked very closely with Cambodian women during the last year. Awards were given out to different women in the group in recognition of their  hard work and dedication to the community. Women from different generations accepted their awards with big hugs and smiles.

It was wonderful to celebrate the collaboration between CHAA and the Cambodian Women's Group. Supporting community building is a major part of the work CHAA does and this Halloween party was a nice way to come together during the fall season to recognize the positive strides that were taken together throughout the year.

Sotheavy Tan (left), Ann Rojos - Cheatem and ED Beatrice Lee giving out awards

Written by S. Nadia Hussain
Photographs by S. Nadia Hussain