This month's Sightlines Saturday feature program, Reflection, Resilience, Reimagination: 50 Years of Southeast Asian American Journeys, commemorates a pivotal moment in Southeast Asian American history. The year 2025 marks 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War, the Secret War in Laos, and the fall of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1975—events that displaced millions from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Seeking refuge in the U.S., these communities rebuilt their lives and, over five decades, have made enduring contributions to American society, embodying resilience, perseverance, and cultural vibrancy.
This special program will feature screenings of short films and selected excerpts from longer works. The screenings will be preceded by a dance performance and followed by an intergenerational panel discussion with community leaders.
Speakers
Mai Vang Huizel is Founder and Executive Director of the Hmong Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota, dedicated to the preservation of Hmong history, arts, and materials. With over a decade of experience in the museum field, she has worked as a registrar, curator, collections manager, and volunteer manager. She believes in the power of storytelling and the importance of people sharing their own narratives in their own voices. Huizel serves on the boards of the Minnesota Association for Local History Museums and the Midwest Art Conservation Center. She lives in Apple Valley, Minnesota, with her husband.
Aleena Inthaly is a Creative Director with the Lao Food Movement, known for her ability to transform cultural narratives into immersive culinary and community experiences. With deep Lao American roots, Inthaly curates events that highlight the richness of Lao food ways while fostering cross-cultural dialogue. Her work bridges generations, tradition, and modernity—celebrating heritage while innovating formats through festivals, markets, dinners, pop-ups, and partnerships. Beyond logistics, Inthaly is a cultural connector, storyteller, and champion of underrepresented voices in food and cultural art.
Tub Ntxawg Billy Lauj (Billy Lor) is a Hmong shaman, cultural advocate, and community leader, committed to preserving and reshaping Hmong spiritual and cultural traditions. His work bridges tradition and transformation, ensuring that Hmong shamanism not only survives but evolves in inclusive and accessible ways. As the founder of Hey Billy, a social media platform dedicated to cultural education and advocacy, Lor challenges long-standing barriers to Hmong spiritual knowledge. Through his teachings, he dismantles harmful narratives embedded in tradition, and builds a more equitable path forward that honors the past while making space for future generations.
Erin Phuong Steinhauer is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Vietnam Society, a nonprofit dedicated to deepening understanding of Vietnam’s history and contemporary culture through the vibrant expressions of its diverse heritage. The organization connects Vietnamese arts, culture, and business with U.S. and international audiences through programs and events in Washington, D.C., including Vietnam Week. Before founding Vietnam Society, Steinhauer held senior roles in government and Fortune 100 companies for over 25 years, including at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Visa Inc., New York Life, Iridium, and MicroStrategy.
Sochietah Ung is a costume maker, dancer, teacher, choreographer, playwright, and producer known for his wide-ranging contributions to Cambodian performing arts. He is especially recognized for his crown and costume making—his crowns are widely used across the United States and internationally, including by Princess Bopha Devi during her 1985 U.S. performance and in a Broadway production of The King and I. A leading teacher of three major Cambodian classic dance roles (giant, male, and female), Ung is also a sought-after folk dance instructor and a respected director of Cambodian theater productions.
KaYing Yang is President of RedGreen Rivers and KaYing + Community, and has been a dedicated advocate for social justice for over two decades. Her career spans community organizing, policy advocacy, and global development work. Yang previously served as Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) in Washington, DC, where she addressed disparities affecting refugee communities. As an entrepreneur, she leads heads RedGreen Rivers, supporting artisans globally, and KaYing + Community, a nonprofit consulting firm. A recipient of the 2019 Bush Foundation Fellowship, Yang was appointed in 2022 to President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and served on the Community Advisory Committee at the New Breath Foundation.
Films
Conversations at the Register (Community: Cambodian; Dir: Brandon Soun, 2022)
Saved from demolition through community action, KH Supermarket—once a cornerstone for Cambodian Americans in Long Beach—now prepares to close, reflecting the ongoing toll of gentrification.
Fighting for Family (Community: Montagnard | Director: Lan Nguyen | Year: 2021)
A moving story of love and resilience, this film follows a Montagnard American family as they navigate the lasting impact of separation through deportation and the challenges that span generations.
My Name is Lai (Community: Lu Mien | Director: Lucy Saephan | Year: 2021)
Lai, a Mien American elder, recounts her journey to the U.S. as a refugee, offering insights into the essential role elders play in preserving memory, culture, and community.
New Wave (Community: Vietnamese | Director: Elizabeth Ai | Year: 2024)
Exploring the Vietnamese American new wave music scene of the 1980s, this documentary follows filmmaker Elizabeth Ai as she excavates an untold story of rebellious punks, synthesized sounds, mile-high hair, teenage rebellion—and a deeper sense of her own identity.
Taking Root (Communities: Cambodian and Lao | Director: Oanh-Nhi Nguyen | Year: 2023)
This docuseries follows Southeast Asian communities who resettled in Philadelphia, highlighting their stories of rebuilding and the strength of intergenerational resilience after war and displacement.
Teb Chaw (Land) (Community: Hmong | Director: Joua Lee Grande | Year:2025)
An intimate portrait of Hmong refugee farmers in Minnesota, this film explores how they are transforming local foodways while preserving cultural practices and connection to land.
Performers
The Cambodian Buddhist Society, Inc. (CBS) built the first Cambodian Buddhist temple outside of Cambodia as both a place of worship and a refuge for those rebuilding their lives after the trauma of war. In response to the needs of the growing community, CBS established the Cultural Committee (CBSCC) to offer programs in cultural preservation, heritage education, and community building across the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region and beyond. For nearly 40 years, this committee has provided classes in Khmer arts, language, and dharma to approximately 50 students annually. Today, CBS remains a vital space for worship, cultural expression, and the continued exploration Cambodian American identity across generations.
The Tep Monorom (Dance of the Deity) is one of the most revered classical dances in the Khmer tradition. Performed as an offering to the deities, the dance symbolizes a wish for abundant rainfall—vital to Cambodia’s agricultural heritage. It embodies the Khmer spirit of compassion, peace, and joy, portraying blessings from the heavens and a divine wish for peace and prosperity on earth.
Organizers
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center thanks these community organizations for their help in designing the program, Reflection, Resilience, Reimagination: 50 Years of Southeast Asian American Journeys.
Organizing Committee Members
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center thanks the following community partners for their leadership and guidance in organizing this program.
Chhaya Chhoum, Co-Director, Southeast Asian Freedom Network
Joua Lee Grande, Filmmaker
Mai Vang Huizel, Founder and Executive Director, Hmong Museum
Stephanie Hunt, Board of Directors Vice-Chair, Laotian American National Alliance
Erin Phuong Steinhauer, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Vietnam Society
Nou Vang, Community Leader
KaYing Yang, President, RedGreen Rivers and KaYing + Community
Sponsors
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and organizers acknowledge the generous support of the program’s sponsors.
-
Resilience Presenting Sponsor:
-
Community Leaders:
-
Legacy Supporters:
