Recording
Oral history interview with Clark Tang
The oral history interview with Clark Tang records the life of a Long Beach man who was a child in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge.[1] It belongs to Cambodian Americans – Oral History of 1.5 Generation, archived at CamCHAP and housed at the Historical Society of Long Beach.[1]
About the recording
Clark Tang was born in Phnom Penh. He is not certain of the exact date, and he believes he was born on December 23, 1969. When the civil war began, his family moved to Bangkok, Thailand, then returned to settle at Bao Pailin, close to the Thai border. After the Khmer Rouge took over the country, they could not cross back into Thailand.[1]
After the Vietnamese invasion in 1979, the family escaped to the Khao-I-Dang refugee camp in Thailand. A cousin in Texas sponsored them to the United States. Shortly after arriving, they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to be with an uncle, and in 1983 they moved to Long Beach.[1] Tang graduated from Poly High School, attended Long Beach City College and California State University, Long Beach, and earned his bachelor's degree at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He works for Los Angeles County, and his passion is martial arts. Of the hardships in his life, he says, "I choose to live as a Warrior."[1]
The collection
The project defines the 1.5 generation as people born in Cambodia between 1963 and 1969 who came to the United States between 1980 and 1986.[2] The narrators speak of childhood before and after the Khmer Rouge, of what they lost, of their migration and of adjusting to life in the United States. The project also asks how they coped as emigrants and how trauma has shaped their well-being.[2] The accounts are offered as messages of hope for future generations, while keeping a clear and honest view of the past.[2]
A California model curriculum lesson on using oral histories to understand the Cambodian Genocide assigns Tang's interview as its third oral history, from minute 34:00 to 49:00. Students trace how Tang experienced the beginning of the genocide and the order of the events that followed. The lesson uses these firsthand accounts to build empathy and critical thinking.[3]
Credits
Clark Tang is the narrator; no interviewer is named for this recording. Pacific Asian Counseling Services recorded the interviews from a mental health perspective, from a concept first developed by Cambodia Town, with funding from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health under the Mental Health Services Act.[1]
Access
- Recording: Historical Society of Long Beach video channel
- The Historical Society of Long Beach published the video, titled "Clark Tang - Oral History," on June 16, 2023. No item number or recording date is published.[1][3]