President’s Welcoming Remarks 

 

By Dr. Sathya Pholy, President of Cambodia Town Lowell 

 

Chum Reap Suor. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. 

On behalf of Cambodia Town Lowell, I want to welcome you to our Annual Celebration Gala. This year is of great significance for Cambodia and the Cambodian people. This year will be marked as the 50th year since the collapse of the infamous Khmer Rouge regime. For the last 50 years, the Cambodians have focused primarily on surviving due to the impact of the genocide regime. The physical and psychological trauma for Cambodian people worldwide remains prevalent. The socioeconomic and educational status of the Cambodian people remains mostly behind the local and national average. The Cambodian people and their community remain fragile and fractured, with greater risk for mental health, poverty, gambling problems, drug addiction, and academic achievement. 

 

The Mission and Vision of Cambodia Town Lowell are to focus on the next 50 years on what we have learned, and together build a brighter future. Our Mission is to focus on how we can strive and advance with the knowledge we have and lessons learned.  Under the umbrella of Cambodia Town Lowell, the Institute of Khmer Education and Advancement (IKEA) will be the hub for research and development. Cambodians will focus on striving and not just surviving. In Cambodian culture, we have a saying that education is your ticket out of poverty. I want to remind all of you that Knowledge is power, and Unity is also powerful. 

 

The City of Lowell is home to the second-largest Cambodian American community in the US  

outside of Cambodia. Our goal is to turn Cambodia Town Lowell into a destination for education and cultural tourism. Our ultimate mission and vision within the next five years is to build a Cambodian American Cultural Museum and Genocide Memorial. The museum and memorial project is not just to unite Cambodian Americans everywhere, regardless of their socioeconomic status and/or political affiliation, but it is a project of respect, reflection, and healing. We are working with local and state officials to put Cambodia Town Lowell signage on the Highway from Interstate 495 to Route 3 and Lowell Connector. We are collaborating with MassDevelopment TDI to improve Clementine Park and Cambodia Town Lowell development and zoning. This year, we adopted an Island right in front of Prum Bayon Park. We participated in the Lowell Folks Festival,Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival, and the first-ever Open Doors event in the middle of Lowell’s Downtown. In early June 2025, Cambodia Town Lowell was proud to collaborate with Charya Burt to showcase the world-renowned The Rebirth of Apsara: Beyond Genocide in Lowell, MA, via Middlesex Community College.   

 

As we gather here tonight, we celebrate not only our past achievements but more about what we can do together in the next 50 years. We stand on the shoulders of our predecessors and move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and unity. Our efforts to improve the community through cultural, economic, and educational initiatives are aimed at creating a lasting legacy for future generations. I encourage you all to take part and participate in the Cambodia Town Lowell venture, have pride, and be proud of our past achievements, but most importantly is the excitement of what our future can bring. 

 

And tonight, I’d like to recognize two outstanding individuals who have had a great impact on the development and achievement of the Cambodia community here in Lowell and beyond.