Building Strong Communities on Cultural Foundations

TO:  Kathy Kolnick, Professor

FROM: Beatrice “Tippe” Morlan, PPD 417 Student

DATE: February 23, 2010

SUBJECT: Building Strong Communities on Cultural Foundations

Thais are a historically marginalized ethnic group here in America. One could call them a “minor” minority whose members do not conform to the typical Asian American stereotype.  They are the most heavily trafficked ethnic group within the United States according to the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report, and Thais do not have enough political clout to raise very much awareness of these and other struggles they face. The United Way estimates that 50,000 or more Thais living on the West Coast are undocumented, and this has fostered a sense of transiency and lack of community among most of them living in America.

Institution building through understanding the history of Thai Americans is greatly helping the community to build a stronger sense of solidarity and pride (Abbott and Adler 1989), something that has been needed for a long time. Ever since the official designation of Thai Town in 1998 by the Los Angeles City Council, community members have had a concrete place to call their own, a place to rally around in Los Angeles and a place to teach and learn about the history of their community. The Thai American “group identity” grows stronger each day with increasing education and awareness being exchanged between the Thai and American cultures (Abbott and Adler 1989). The historical analysis of 

Thai Town improves understanding of the transnational Thai American culture allowing community members, politicians, and many others to more easily recognize and respond to their needs.

The federal designation of Thai Town as a cultural tourist attraction in 2008 through the Preserve America white house initiative was a “critical decision moment” for Thais as it enabled the community to better serve its members through increased funding and services. This project is paving the way for future policy options through increased awareness on a national scale and access to funds to support community-based initiatives (Johnson and Schaffer 1985). It is so essential for ethnic groups to learn of and identify with their history, especially within the context of the places they reside. This allows them to function more successfully as a part of a larger community. Without such awareness, it can be difficult for others to understand the role such ethnic groups have in society as well. This is why cultural tourism within our own country is a critical tool for using history to expand people’s knowledge of and interactions with one another.

As a Thai American, I am grateful to be so involved in my culture now that I have found my place in Thai Town, Los Angeles amongst others like myself. I have been fortunate to have a role in Thai American history through my involvement with the Thai Community Development Center working on many of these initiatives. My understanding of my own culture and its place in the context of American cities is just beginning to grow as I work to improve the conditions of the Thai American community in any way I can.

Let It All Out

I have no idea where life is taking me. That's part of the beauty of everything, and yet as a planner in all senses of the term it makes me extremely anxious a lot of the time. Wouldn't life be so grand if we knew exactly what we were supposed to do at any specific time and place with whichever specific people we need to do it with? "But that's not the way it works." (Oh, how I love Relient K - what a great band!).

I feel like I don't have anything insightful to talk about this week, especially as I have been exhausted  from my looong trip to Seattle and from getting over this slight cold I acquired there. All I have been wanting to do is sleep, and yet this has been one of the busiest weeks of the semester. I haven't even had time to work on my thesis, and all I end up doing in my spare time is sleeping. Even getting outside to run feels like (more of) a chore because everything seems to be working against me accomplishing anything this week. I don't feel like I am getting anywhere, and in fact I feel like I am falling behind; 'tis the life of a graduate student, or so I have heard. And yet, looking back on it, this past week has been one of the most accomplished weeks of my life. Presenting my research in Seattle at the Pacific Sociological Association conference has shown me that I do have what it takes to succeed in academia as well as to make a difference and affect change in this world to at least some degree. I just need to do it! Unfortunately, it seems as if acting upon intentions is the hardest part of life. But isn't that because when we do what we say we are going to do and when we accomplish what we set out to do everything becomes all the more rewarding?

Over the past week, not only have I formally and successfully presented my research in an academic setting for the very first time, but I have also gotten a lot closer to one of my 2011 resolutions: to travel more! I have seen at least one new city this year: Seattle, the Emerald City. What a surprising city full of hidden gems and treasures. I am so excited to have experienced such a "foreign," exciting part of the world that I have never known before.  I still plan on visiting Chicago with Trish in September (hopefully for a half marathon) and London this summer with Tianqi. It really is only hitting me now that I am living out this part of my dreams! Travel has the profound ability to morph a part of ones soul into something entirely new given the sacred and profane nature of the experience one has in any sort of new environment. I wrote my term paper for my Graduate Classical Social Theory class on this aspect of tourism, but that is a topic for another day.

On top of everything else, I have also been blessed this week to prepare for the release of my book, Thais in Los Angeles, which I co-authored with my old boss at the Thai Community Development Center, Chancee Martorell. It comes out on Monday, March 21st (all proceeds go to the Thai CDC, a nonprofit organization which is a major basic needs resource center in Los Angeles and fights human trafficking), and I am so excited to finally be a published author!


I have accomplished a lot in my life, especially coming from my particular background. On my dad's side, as far as I know I will be the first one to have a graduate degree in a family that has only a handful of college graduates. On my mom's side, she is the only one who was able to come to America, and she gave up a lot to leave Thailand. I am reminded every day how lucky I am to have been born and raised in America with the opportunities I have available to me. Today, as I reflect on the successes of this week I realize how blessed I am in life. Counting your blessings does work wonders! Life seems so much more rich and full after such reflection. Meaning in life truly does develop out of a reflection on your lived experiences.