Photos: Thousands gathered for Long Beach’s 17th annual Cambodia Town Parade
The event this year coincided with the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Cambodian genocide under Khmer Rouge rule that saw 1.3 million people killed.
For 17 years, thousands of people have flocked to Long Beach for the annual Cambodia Town Parade. This year, amid the celebration, was the sobering fact that this year’s festivities also marked the 50th anniversary of the Cambodian genocide carried out under Khmer Rouge rule.
While the annual Long Beach event celebrates Cambodian new year, which begins April 14 and marks the end of the harvest season, many speakers ahead of the parade acknowledged the 1.3 million people buried in the killing fields as well as the hundreds of thousands of others who died due to disease and starvation.
“Their courage lights our path forward,” said Sithea San, chair of Cambodia Town, Inc. and a survivor of the genocide.
With a population around 20,000, Long Beach has the largest concentration of Cambodians outside of southeast Asia.
Former California Representative Alan Lowenthal said how important it is for communities to come together for events such as the parade during “times of uncertainty.” Lowenthal spoke of the parallels between the Cambodian genocide and the Holocaust.
“As a Jewish person whose family lived through the Holocaust, I’m so honored to participate as we have an occasion to remember the 50th anniversary of the genocide and the killing fields in Cambodia,” Lowenthal said. “It is so important that we as a people recognize our past, honor the traditions and remember all the people that sacrificed their lives — not because they did something wrong but because they did something right.”
Despite the anniversary of such devastation, the thousands of people who turned out for the parade and following festival were eager to celebrate the Year of the Snake. Hundreds of red, white and blue flags — both Cambodian and American — billowed in the wind amid the sea of people.
After addresses from numerous officials as well as an interfaith ceremony, dozens of groups marched the parade route along Anaheim Street in Cambodia Town before turning right at Alamitos Avenue and ending at Long Beach City College’s Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus.
“I just want to express my great joy. It’s been a longtime coming for our community to feel this deep pride and joy in celebrating in a way that reflects who we are as a community — not just the Cambodian community but as the Long Beach community,” said Suely Saro, Long Beach’s first Cambodian-American councilmember.
“May this occasion inspire us all to walk the path of spiritual growth and unity and kindness,” said Chanwantha Sam Limon, interim chair of Long Beach’s Cambodian American Cultural Center. “Today is an example of how we can all come together, but let’s keep it in our heart. It is more than just a celebration — it is for us to connect with the community, the culture and the heritage.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct Jasper Rasile‘s age.
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