Hardcover Book
 
From the very beginning, SEAD has worked to collect and amplify the stories of our Southeast Asian diaspora community. When outside sources, however, ask us for our stories, they continually center our trauma, focusing on the war and the struggles we’ve experienced instead of our holistic personhood. With this collection, our elders will be sharing their strength, their inner peace, and what brings them joy.
 
This collection isn’t based in academia or high art. Rather, we are community members that simply want to preserve and honor our elders’ voices for generations to come.This book brings together eighteen distinct voices from our Hmong, Lao, Viet, and Khmer elder communities. Each of the stories they share represents their families and the thousands of individuals who’ve been displaced from their homelands along the Mekong River.
 
This collection is for you. Whether you’re third generation or first, whether you speak your heritage language or want to learnwe celebrate your identity and the resiliency of our people. We hope these stories of joy make you feel seen, heard, recognized, and held. Thank you to our story collection cohort, our artists, and our elders! Your words matter.