Approximately 2,000: That's how many Cambodians across the country, both refugees and immigrants, live in limbo, fearing the day they will be sent back to their country of origin. Yet most people don't know of their predicament.
With the new exhibit, "Deporting Cambodians: How Immigration Policy Shapes our Communities," the Wing Luke Asian Museum is taking steps to change that. The show presents a timeline of immigration law, with a focus on Cambodians, leading up to the current era, along with placing deportation in its historical context.
Combined with its educational aspects, the show also serves an advocacy role, providing postcards museum-goers can mail to legislators to fight the deportations. And, with whispers that removal of Cambodians are on the rise, museum executive director Cassie Chinn says the exhibit's presentation of real stories will help increase awareness of a practice that happens very quietly. "So that more people know about it," adds Chinn.
Show closes Oct. 18, 2009. Wing Luke Asian Museum, 719 S. King St., (206)623-5124, http://www. wingluke.org