More Than A Number: Rebuilding Community, One Story at a Time

Photo by Chenna Yenn

By Channa Yem /Salem  Log Photo Editor 

Published: Friday, April 20, 2012

The tenacity of the human spirit to survive is the main theme behind the Lynn Museum and Historical Society’s (LMHS) recently debuted exhibit, “More Than A Number.”

It showcases heroic and compelling accounts of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia.

This award-winning exhibition is a collection of photographs and stories from the “Killing Fields,” the mass slaughter of more than 2.5 million people between 1975 and 1979. This was approximately 25 percent of the population at that time.

Through powerful images and oral histories, “More Than A Number” focuses on the refugees who came to call Lynn their home.

Recently assembled at the LMHS, the exhibit first opened at the American Textile History Museum in Lowell on April 17, 2011: the 35th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia.

The name pays homage to the transit numbers given to individuals who were approved for emigration to a new country.

On March 5, the American Studies Public Lecture Series hosted a presentation about the exhibit at Salem State University on behalf of the Interdisciplinary Studies Department.

Along with Kate Luchini, director of the LMHS and Abby Battis, assistant director of the museum, former child soldier and Killing Fields survivor Sayon Soeun shared his experience with Salem State students and guests.

Soeun, who was 8 years old at the time of the Khmer Rouge takeover, knew how to operate an M16, AK-47 and grenade launchers by the age of 10.

He stated that one can get information about this horrific period of Cambodian history from the Internet or history classes, but it could never be told – or felt – like it can from this exhibit.

“This project is not about blame,” said Soeun. “It is about the personal stories. I lost my family at a young age and this project means portraying the victims as heroes, not as victims.”

Not only does “More Than A Number” tug at the heartstrings, but it aims to enrich, heal, and inspire those who are involved.

Community partners and the LMHS believe this exhibit will further educate generations of Cambodian-American children who have been hesitant or fearful to ask for answers. In this way, it provides the community with an opportunity to learn about its traumatic yet powerful history.

Panelists discussed the motivation and collaboration behind the exhibit. They shared strategies for linking humanities, community needs and social justice work.

Harry Schnur, “More Than A Number” committee member and a program coordinator at the Lynn Community Health Center, asserts that it was his background in humanities that enabled him to understand the need for this exhibit in Lynn, home to a large Cambodian-American community.

While “More Than A Number” serves as an opportunity for refugees to share their amazing stories of survival, committee members felt strongly about the exhibit’s outreach to the community and its immense potential to educate.

“This is about creating a community through memory, of memory,” said Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, associate professor of interdisciplinary studies at SSU.

Some of us might not realize that these heroes are our neighbors and community members.

Even though not all have a name, they certainly have a story.

Lynn and cities like it need to understand what was lost in order to appreciate every step towards building a strong and healthy Cambodian-American community.

“More Than A Number” is open for viewing at the LMHS through October, which is the first of its kind and years in the making. The exhibit is expected to tour around the country and the world over the next five years.