History Bites: The Cambodian Community in Amherst

In the early 1980’s members of the Amherst community organized to give refuge to survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. Faith communities and their partners helped many Cambodian families escape the desperate circumstances they faced in refugee camps in Southeast Asia and resettle in Amherst. This year, the Amherst Historical Society is helping to tell their story.
Joan Snowdon, a former ESL teacher in the Amherst schools, was instrumental in both the resettlement effort and in researching and organizing the exhibit “Cambodians in Amherst.”