Honoring Black American Men, their leadership, and contributions for Black History Month. These are some of our picks to help put a positive face rather than the negative images and stereotypes that usually white Americans see through the media. These men, our black American men, have contributed much to their country (see below)
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February is Black History Month and we wanted to honor Black American Women by highlighting some of them.
Learn more about Bessie’s Story and how the Veteran Administration ignored her
This next woman is my favorite
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This man is brave and authentic. What he says about governments and many involved with religions has shown to be true, not just in Pakistan, but all over the world. One man out of poverty is recognized as the Mother Theresa of his country reaching out to the most underserved populations. Learn more about him and his work.
Colonial Cambodia’s ‘Bad Frenchman’, Children Stolen From Cambodia
Who are the stolen children from Cambodia? They are called Métis, children born from French and Cambodian parents during French Colonial rule in Cambodia. It is a sad and shameful time in history and the lost stories that need to be told.
Here are some statements made from a series of letters written by the country’s Résident Supérieur in Cambodia, François Baudoin, regarding what to do about the métis:
“There is no doubt that by letting the number of métis increase, we risk seeing the creation of a class of individuals who, living on the margins of both French and indigenous society, would not miss any opportunities to become a source of annoyance and embarrassment to our administration.”
Another, from 1916, reads:
“[…] we must definitively break the link which attaches these children to their Indochinese origins, and even go as far as making them lose all their memories of Indochina.”
*Quotes above gleaned from article, please read recent article to learn more about their story- The Story of Cambodia’s Stolen Children (Recent Article)
Here is a related book I’ve recently learned about and will be reading in the near future. You can purchase it in book form or download for purchase or rent through kindle.
Colonial Cambodia’s ‘Bad Frenchmen’
It is a book about the history of French Colonialism researched from Cambodian and Vietnamese archives
Here is one statement from a review of the book-The Wild West in the Far East – Surprising (sometimes shocking) history at its readable best
You can read more about the book, it’s review, and purchase it here
70 Year Old Uncle Cutting Down Coconuts For Us From His Back Yard in Vietnam
My husband Steve went to Vietnam with me this year (2014). It was only his second time and the first time was 15 years ago. We were visiting some of my family south of Ho Chi Minh City what is known as the Delta Area. One day we were at my Aunt’s house and Steve wanted to go visit my uncle who only lived about a 10 minute walk away. My uncle’s house is tucked away off the main road and in this area there are mostly Cambodian people. My uncle is a former ARVN soldier from the Vietnam / American War. He is such a gentle good natured spirit. His wife is a hoot. She is always laughing and joking around. On my first trip back to Vietnam in 2o some years with my parents and sister (18 years ago), this uncle pulled out half of his American dollar that he and my father split in half when my parents left Vietnam the first time during the war. Unfortunately my father lost his! My uncle and his wife (mom’s second oldest sister) did not have a lot of possessions after the war, but amazingly he managed to save that half of an American dollar all these years.
Steve had a taste for a coconut so my uncle went to work in his backyard to get us some from his tree as you will see in the video clip below. While my uncle is chopping up the coconut it could make you cringe seeing how close his thumb was at times. However, no sweat! He has done this for years. On a previous trip, I’ve witnessed my uncle in his early 70’s climb up the trees for the coconuts.
It was great to see my husband make a genuine connection with my relatives once again. Steve didn’t even recognize the main provincial city. It has changed so much from 15 years ago, such as all of Vietnam. Living simply, being in the moment, authentic connections. Steve has already talked about going back………..and soon!
More pictures and reflections coming from our trip, including our meeting up with my parents and sister in Vietnam. It was only my parent’s second time back to Vietnam since the first trip 18 years ago. Check out clip below.
World Outreach- Thuy Smith Outreach 