Exploring an Ethnic Enclave: Cambodia Town, USA

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Exploring an Ethnic Enclave: Cambodia Town, USA

Cambodia Town sign on 710 freeway.

Author: Christine Su
Grade: 11

Suggested Amount of Time: 120 minutes
Area of Study: Community Building and Healing    

Compelling Question

  • How did Cambodians build communities to thrive and heal in the United States?

Lesson Question

  • Why would an ethnic enclave be important to Cambodians after surviving genocide?

Lesson Objective

Students will be able to understand what ethnic enclaves are through analyzing data on factors affecting employment, education, and health to explore the community and identity within Cambodian enclaves.

Lesson Background

Contemporary interest in ethnic enclaves dates back to the 1980s, when Wilson and Portes (1980) used the term ‘ethnic enclave’ to describe how Cuban immigrants integrated into US economic institutions in Miami, Florida. Studies from this period hypothesized that enclaves, as geographical spaces where concentrated numbers of members of a given ethnic group reside, create alternative pathways for economic integration that were not as dependent on the mainstream or majority society. Rather than finding jobs in the primary or secondary labor markets, as would be expected by theories of straight-line assimilation or a dual labor market, Portes and Manning (1986) argue that enclave enterprises provide members of an ethnic group with opportunities for economic mobility that were inaccessible elsewhere. Viewed in this way, ethnic enclaves may create pathways for social mobility that do not necessitate migrants to adopt new cultural practices or move into neighborhoods where the ethnic majority predominates. (excerpted from Espinoza-Kulick et al, 2021)

The Los Angeles metropolitan area is very diverse, ethnically, socially, and economically. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, the area is home to many different ethnic enclaves. Dr. Faith Eren writes that “for globalisation [sic] studies, LA should be considered as an open urban laboratory because here is a place affected very much from various global flows as well as strongly affecting the world in cultural terms.”

Cambodia Town in Long Beach, California, has the highest number of Cambodians outside of Cambodia. Cambodian Town, Inc. was incorporated and recognized as its own entity in 2007. As such, in some ways Cambodia Town is a microcosm of Cambodia. In other ways, however, it is very different.  In this lesson, students will learn about the social, economic, educational, health, and other demographics of Cambodia Town, as well as explore the non-statistical realities of the people who live there through narrative and oral history.

Image Citation: Programs, & Programs. (2023a, November 15). Cambodia Town Street sign - Historical Society of Long Beach. Historical Society of Long Beach - Where History Lives! https://hslb.org/cambodia-town-street-sign/

Ethnic Studies Theme

This lesson connects to the ethnic studies theme of community and solidarity from the Asian American Studies Curriculum Framework (Asian American Research Initiative, 2022). Students analyze community resistance and alliances between communities, as well as the complexities within these experiences.

Students will explore how Cambodian American in Long Beach, California fit into (or not) these perceptions and how they have been included in American citizenship.

Historical Thinking Skills 

Students show the connections, causal and otherwise, between particular historical events and larger social, economic, and political trends and developments. 

Students consider resettlement patterns in the United States and how Long Beach became an ethnic enclave.

For additional guidance around ethnic studies implementation, refer to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (2022) https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp.

Videos
  • Pass or Fail in Cambodia Town 
  • Cambodian Town: Not For Sale (2019) 
  • Long Beach's "Cambodian Cowboy" serves up Texas BBQ with a twist
Readings
  • Measure of America 
  • Cambodia Town Long Beach
Handouts

Land Acknowledgement  

  • Teacher can introduce the lesson with this land acknowledgement: The area of Long Beach designated as Cambodia Town acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (Los Angeles basin, Southern Channel Islands) and pays respects to the honu vetam (ancestors), ahiihirom (elders), and eyoohiinkem (relatives/relations) past, present, and emerging.

 

Warm-Up 

  • Students will begin the lesson by reflecting on the term ‘neighborhood.’  
  • Pose the following questions: What is a neighborhood, and what are its features? How is one neighborhood distinguished from another? What does it mean to be neighborly?
  • Allow for students to discuss with a partner, and then have a whole class discussion.
  • Introduce students to the lesson objective, lesson background, and lesson questions. 
  • Allow students three to five minutes to preview the website: https://www.visitlongbeach.com/neighborhoods/eastside/cambodia-town/ 
    • Have students engage in a See-Think-Wonder thinking activity using this website.
    • Teachers should point out Cambodia Town in Long Beach to students on a map for geographical awareness.
    • Then, have students share their thoughts to the class.

 

Interaction with first source

  • The class will watch “Pass or Fail in Cambodia Town” https://www.pbs.org/video/america-numbers-pass-or-fail-cambodia-town/ 
    • Before watching the video, have students make predictions 
  • As students watch, they should have a notetaker setup in the following format:
    • Create four boxes, and in the center of all boxes, the title should be ‘Cambodia Town’
    • Label the remaining four boxes with: employment, education, health and history. As students watch, they should add notes to the corresponding boxes on what they learn from the video for that respective category as it pertains to the Cambodian American community.
  • For the first half of the clip, teachers should model how to complete the four square notetaker. Be sure to stop in between segments of the clip to provide time to debrief and add to notes.
  • Once the clip is over, have a class discussion about each category: employment, education, health, and history. Allow students to add to their notes if they heard new information from the discussion.

 

Interaction with second source 

  • Cambodian Town: Not For Sale (2010) by Brandon Soun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwspcxUID0A  
  • For this second video, have students watch independently and add to their notetaker. 
  • Once students are done, have them debrief with a partner. Then have a whole class discussion.

 

Interaction with third source 

  • Long Beach's "Cambodian Cowboy" serves up Texas BBQ with a twist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mHJ3e8vdqc
  • Have students watch independently and add to their notetaker. 
  • Once students are done, have them debrief with a partner. Then have a whole class discussion.

 

Cultural Production/Assessment

  • Students will choose from one of the following options for an assessment:
  • Propose policy solutions to improve neighborhood health (albeit social, economic, physical, or mental health) and present to the class (mode of presentation can range from video presentation or small group/whole class presentations). The proposal should be formal and comprehensive.
  • Cambodia Town refers to a 1.2-mile stretch in Long Beach. Create an interactive map that includes details about what businesses, organizations, and other entities reside there. Map elements could include photos, interviews with shop owners, etc. Programs like StoryMaps (https://storymaps.arcgis.com) or Google Maps can help students to present their research findings.
  • Cambodia Town is not the only ethnic enclave in Long Beach. Explore one of the other ethnic communities there are, and report on what type of support (economic, social, etc.) it offers to its residents. Reach out to the organizing body for the community and find out more about its history, mission, and vision. Then, create a brochure pamphlet to showcase the information. This can be digital or physical.
  • Students can utilize online databases and maps for research. One great resource to begin with is Measure of America. https://measureofamerica.org/

 

Circular Exchange/Reflection: 

  • Provide multiple opportunities for students to showcase their projects. This can be done as a Gallery Walk, small group or whole class presentations, Give One, Get One, or linking materials onto a shared document.

Students will choose from one of the following options for an assessment: 

  • Propose policy solutions to improve neighborhood health (albeit social, economic, physical, or mental health) and present to the class (mode of presentation can range from video presentation or small group/whole class presentations). The proposal should be formal and comprehensive. 
  • Cambodia Town refers to a 1.2-mile stretch in Long Beach. Create an interactive map that includes details about what businesses, organizations, and other entities reside there. Map elements could include photos, interviews with shop owners, etc. Programs like StoryMaps (https://storymaps.arcgis.com) or Google Maps can help students to present their research findings. 
  • Cambodia Town is not the only ethnic enclave in Long Beach. Explore one of the other ethnic communities there are, and report on what type of support (economic, social, etc.) it offers to its residents. Reach out to the organizing body for the community and find out more about its history, mission, and vision. Then, create a brochure pamphlet to showcase the information. This can be digital or physical.

Engagement: Consider the following method to support with lesson engagement:

  • Alerts and previews that can help learners anticipate and prepare for changes in activities, schedules, and novel events
  • Display the goal in multiple ways 

 

Representation: Consider the following method to support with multiple means of representation:

  • Give explicit prompts for each step in a sequential process
  • Provide written transcripts for videos or auditory clips

 

Action and Expression: Consider the following method to support in presenting their learning in multiple ways:

  • Provide differentiated feedback (e.g., feedback that is accessible because it can be customized to individual learners)
  • Provide alternatives in the requirements for rate, timing, speed, and range of motor action required to interact with instructional materials, physical manipulatives, and technologies

 

For additional ideas to support your students, check out the UDL Guidelines at CAST (2018) http://udlguidelines.cast.org.

Emerging: Consider the following method to support with emerging students:

  • Reading: Provide a list of important concepts on a graphic organizer 
    • Brainstorm a list of words students would want to use to describe something. Use these words to create a word list. These word lists will be used to construct a descriptive paragraph about a given topic.  

 

Expanding: Consider the following method to support with expanding students:

  • Reading: Provide a content vocabulary word bank with non linguistic representations 
    • Students use a Frayer graphic organizer to support understanding of a key word or concept. Place the target word in the center amid four surrounding quadrants to support different facets of word meaning.

 

Bridging: Consider the following method to support with bridging students:

  • Reading: Ask students to analyze text structure and select an appropriate graphic organizer for summarizing
    • Take a complex sentence, such as a sentence with long noun or verb phrases, and unpack it for meaning. Teachers first model their thought processes by using strategies, such as think alouds, and then engage students in deciphering the meanings of the sentences. Students are guided through a technique of reducing dense sentences into a list of simpler sentences that, when combined, express the meaning of the original sentence. Important features of the sentence are showcased  (i.e., specialized vocabulary, descriptive language, use of conjunctions in compound or complex sentences, use of prepositional phrases, etc.)

For additional guidance around scaffolding for multilingual learners, please consult the following resources:

  1. Students can look at other areas in the United States with large Cambodian populations. Some areas students could research include Stockton, California; Lowell, Massachusetts; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  2. Students can compare these areas to Long Beach, California as to how Khmer culture is integrated into the town or city. 
  3. Watch Place Matters video, 30 minutes. https://newsreel.org/video/unnatural-causes  There is a cost for the full video, but a school’s library may already have access to the video. If not, short excerpts from the video can be found online https://unnaturalcauses.org/video_clips_detail.php?res_id=217 and may suffice to begin discussion of why place matters: Transcript available.

Adebiyi, A., et al. 2013. The State of Cambodia Town. UCLA Asian American Studies Center. http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/research/pdfs/CambodiaTown.pdf

America By the Numbers | Pass or Fail in Cambodia Town | Season 1 | Episode 6 | PBS. 2014, November 8. PBS.org. https://www.pbs.org/video/america-numbers-pass-or-fail-cambodia-town/

America, M. O. 2022, September 12. Measure of America: a program of the Social Science Research Council. Measure of America: A Program of the Social Science Research Council. https://measureofamerica.org/

Asako Gladsjo, L. (Director and Producer). 2014, November 8, revised in 2016. Pass or Fail in Cambodia Town (Season 1, Episode 6) [TV series episode]. In L. Asako 

American Initiative. 2022. Asian American Studies K-12 Framework.  https://asianamericanresearchinitiative.org/asian-american-studies-curriculum-framework/ 

Bauer T., et. al. 2005. “Enclaves, language, and the location choice of migrants.” Journal of Population Economics, Issue 18, 649-662. 

Britt, K. 2020c, May 11. English learner toolkit of strategies. California County Superintendents. https://cacountysupts.org/english-learner-toolkit-of-strategies/

Bunte, P.A., et al. 1992. The Cambodian Community of Long Beach: An Ethnographic Analysis of Factors Leading to Census Undercount. Final Report for Joint Statistical Agreement 89-31, Ethnographic Evaluation of the 1990 Decennial Census Report Series. Center for Survey Methods Research, Bureau of the Census.

Cambodia Town | Visit Long Beach. (n.d.). Visit Long Beach. https://www.visitlongbeach.com/neighborhoods/eastside/cambodia-town/ 

California Department of Education. 2022. Ethnic studies model curriculum. https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp 

California Department of Education & English Learner Support Division. 2012. California English Language Development standards (Electronic Edition) kindergarten through grade 12 (F. Ong & J. McLean, Eds.). California Department of Education. https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/documents/eldstndspublication14.pdf

California Educators Together. (n.d.). ELA / ELD framework. https://www.caeducatorstogether.org/resources/6537/ela-eld-framework

CAST. 2018 The UDL guidelines. http://udlguidelines.cast.org 

CBS Mornings. 2022, November 3. Long Beach’s “Cambodian Cowboy” serves up Texas BBQ with a twist [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mHJ3e8vdqc

Community Draft Vision Plan. 2021. Cambodia Town Thrives: Our Roots, Our Story, Our Future. Community Vision Plan.

Eren, F. 2012. “Los Angeles: Global City Analysis.” Political Reflection Magazine, Issue 13, 58-63. 

Espinoza-Kulick, M., Fennelly, K., & Castañeda, E. 2021. "Ethnic Enclaves." In L. Spillman (Ed.), Oxford Bibliographies, Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756384/obo-9780199756384-0257.xml

Gladsjo, America by the Numbers. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/video/america-numbers-pass-or-fail-cambodia-town/   

 Liu, M., & Geron, K. 2008. “Changing Neighborhood: Ethnic Enclaves and the Struggle for Social Justice.” Social Justice, 35 (2), 18-35.

Logan, J., Zhang, W., & Alba, R. 2002 Immigrant enclaves and ethnic communities in New York and Los Angeles. American Sociological Review, 67(2), 299-322.

San Diego County Office of Education. (n.d.). Providing appropriate scaffolding. https://www.sdcoe.net/educators/multilingual-education-and-global-achievement/oracy-toolkit/providing-appropriate-scaffolding#scaffolding

Sexias, P. & Morton, T. 2013. The big six: Historical thinking concepts. Nelson Education.

Soun, B., & Nguyen, Lan. (Directors). 2019. Cambodia Town: Not for Sale [Film]. 7 minutes. T

Tulare County Office of Education. (n.d.). Strategies for ELD. https://commoncore.tcoe.org/Content/Public/doc/Alpha-CollectionofELDStrategies.pdf 

Model Curriculum

Cambodian American Studies

Standard(s)

W.11-12.1 HSS 11.11.1 RI.11-12.7

Grade(s)

Grade 11