Recorded: June 23, 2020
This community dialogue is part of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota's "Bridges of Memory" Project. This talk includes a facilitated discussion between Kosol Sek and George Dalbo. The recording begins with an introduction from Alejandro Baer and Joe Eggers.
The talk was presented in partnership with IKARE (The International Khmer Assembly) and the National Khmer Legacy Museum.
This video is the first in a series of community dialogues to learn about genocides from the experiences and perspectives of local survivors and survivor communities. Topics will include the Armenian Genocide, Holodomor, Holocaust, and Cambodian Genocide, as well as a focus on how individuals and communities share stories of loss and survival, navigate trauma, memorialize victims, preserve and celebrate culture, and educate younger generations.
Speaker Bios:
Kosol Sek is the Managing Director of IKARE (The International Khmer Assembly) and the Khmer Legacy Museum. Kosol is a frequent guest on Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA), Minnesota and National Public Radio, and has been featured on Fox TV, Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia Daily, and other publications throughout the world - Often discussing topics on how to protect, preserve, and promote the arts, history, culture, and future of the Khmer people.
George Dalbo is the Educational Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and a Ph.D. student in Social Studies Education at the University of Minnesota with research interests in Holocaust, genocide, and human rights education. Previously, he was a middle and high school social studies teacher, having taught every grade from 5th-12th in public, charter, and independent schools in Minnesota, as well as two years at an international school in Vienna, Austria.
Joe Eggers is the Research and Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on the forced assimilation policies towards Native communities in the United States. He is interested in expanding our concept of what constitutes genocide.
Alejandro Baer is the Stephen C. Feinstein Chair and Director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology. Alejandro Baer joined the University of Minnesota in 2012. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology at the Universidad Complutense Madrid and his Habilitation at the University of Bayreuth (Germany). He held faculty and visiting positions at universities in Madrid, Bayreuth, Berlin and Munich. Baer has authored numerous books and articles addressing issues of genocide, survivor testimony, collective memory, and antisemitism, with particular focus on Germany, Spain and the Spanish-speaking world.
The International Khmer Assembly (IKARE): The International Khmer Assembly, Inc was established in March 2012 as a project to advocate for the recognition of the Khmer and Southeast Asian Veterans for their role in defending American armed forces in the "secret war" of Southeast Asia. The purpose was to inspire veterans to be proud of their history, stories, and contribution to the United States -- and to create a legacy for their community. After the passage of MN State Senate Resolution 2314 and the United States Senate Resolution S. Res 462 in July 2014, newly-elected Chairman Mr. Kosol Sek recognized that services offered to Khmer Americans were limited to fellowship and U.S. citizenship. A new approach to community development was needed where highly-passionate individuals become inspired at rebuilding, restoring, and reviving the community. In 2016, Kosol Sek, Chairman and Acting Director of the organization spearheaded a new initiative to expand the scope of the organization to include the collection of absent narratives, films, original music, artifacts, and other intellectual properties that were lost, missing, damaged, and stolen during the genocide of the 1970s. The extermination of the intelligentsia in the 1970s had created fear and scarcity in promoting identity, voice, and pride of the people. To bridge this gap, the organization transformed and married its legal name abbreviation ( IKA ) with "RE" for rebuilding, restoring, and reviving to communicate that for effective change to take place, role models must keep stories, history, and contributions alive. IKARE became the organization's public name and organizational culture in 2016, aiming to inspire individuals to give back. On the weekend of June 23, 2016, the National Khmer Legacy Museum ( the “first and only” ) Cambodian legacy museum was launched to protect, preserve, and promote stories, history, and contributions of the Khmer people.
