It's Our Time Now w/ Suely Saro Ed.D

(S3, EP 7) Suely Saro Ed.D. joins me as a guest for the Season 3 edition of "Where Do We Stand?"  Suely is currently running for Long Beach City Council.  Earlier this year, she beat her opponent who has been a long-time incumbent.  If elected, she'll be the first Khmer-American elected into Long Beach City Council, home to the largest Khmer-American population in the US.  In our conversation, she shares her experience in what led her to run for office for the first time, and what it's like to campaign during the pandemic.  She goes into issues that have affected her district in the wake of Covid-19 and the civil unrest since George Floyd and Breonna Taylor's murders.  Suely talks about what she hopes to do for the city of Long Beach, CA and her hopes of encouraging fellow Khmer-Americans to be civically engaged in their community.   Please check out this episode for more on my interiew w / Suely.  

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Special thanks to my sponsor, Lawrence and Argyle, a Viet-American owned merchandise line representing immigrant empowerment. Get yourself a pin, hoodie or t-shirt and show off your immigrant pride. Visit them at  www.lawrenceandargyle.com or on Instagram @lawrenceandargyle or on their Facebook page

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Bio:

Suely Saro is running for Long Beach City Council District 6 in the 2020 election. As a field representative for the Office of former State Senator Ricardo Lara, Suely had the opportunity to work closely with residents in District 6 and throughout Long Beach. 

Suely was the first in her family to graduate from college, holds a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D) in Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne, is an adjunct faculty member at the School of Social Work at California State University-LA, and serves as a Consultant to the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC).

Suely understands the immigrant experience first hand. Born in a Thai refugee camp to parents who survived the Cambodian Genocide, Suely and her family  settled in LA before they moved to Long Beach. Throughout her life, Suely has been dedicated to fighting for equity for working families, youth, immigrants, and women. She began her career as a labor organizer working alongside janitors at SEIU Local 6 and healthcare workers at SEIU 1199NW in their fight for fair wages and better working conditions. She went on to become the first Executive Director of Khmer Girls in Action. She then joined the Health Access Project at Asian Americans Advancing Justice to provide education, build coalitions, and conduct advocacy on the Affordable Care Act.  You can visit her at www.suelysaro.com