Dear Friend,
Someone recently asked me, “What is your superpower?” And immediately, I knew: the pen. As SEARAC’s Senior Director of Communications – and a former journalist – it is my honor to share the stories of the Southeast Asian refugee resettlement experience through blog posts, reports, articles in the news, and on social media. SEARAC is doing vital work to build community power and uplift the Southeast Asian American narrative so that community stories, wisdom, history, and experiences are not lost to time. On today, the last day of SEARAC’s Week of Giving fundraiser, will you join me in making a gift to SEARAC to shape the story of the SEAA community’s next 50 years?
That’s why the inspiring and whimsical design crafted for SEARAC by multimedia artist Killamari resonated so strongly with me. The tagline that Killamari included in the piece – “Writing our stories since 1975” – is about having the opportunity to continue writing his story and and the broader Southeast Asian American story through refugee resettlement, which allowed his parents to escape genocide in Cambodia in the 1970s. You can learn more about Killamari on his website or by reading our interview with him here.
In 2025, the 50th anniversary of the community’s arrival in the US, SEARAC and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) are teaming up to co-produce a documentary film series that spotlights the diversity, the vibrance, and the power of the SEAA community. We need your support to ensure that our community’s powerful stories can be screened and shared nationwide at events and conferences throughout 2025 and beyond. Please support our work by making a donation to SEARAC’s year-end fundraiser and help us to reach our goal of $20,000.
Elaine Sanchez Wilson
Senior Director of Communications
SEARAC