Abducted Child Soldier Sayon Soeun to Host Q&A at The Legacy Project – Posted 1/20/15
The Legacy Project at County College of Morris (CCM) will continue its series on genocide this academic year when Cambodian genocide survivor Sayon Soeun conducts a question and answer session during the program’s third event on the subject and first of the Spring Semester.
The program takes place on Thursday, February 12, at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Community Center, Dragonetti Auditorium, on CCM’s Randolph campus, located at 214 Center Grove Road.
Abducted by the Khmer Rouge at the age of six, Soeun was exploited by the group as a child soldier in Cambodia. After having his family life and education stolen, he transitioned from an orphanage in a refugee camp to adoption by a loving American family.
After 35 years, Soeun made contact with brothers and a sister he assumed were dead. The film Lost Child – Sayon’s Journey documents his experiences returning to Cambodia to reconnect with his family and heal the wounds he suffered during the country’s darkest hour.
“We are very pleased to welcome Sayon Soeun as special speaker for The Legacy Project,” said Professor Michelle Altieri, one of three co-chairs of the Legacy Project. “Soeun’s story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, from his unthinkable trials at a young age to his healing journey.”
This marks the third event on genocide. In November, The Legacy Project welcomed Holocaust survivor Maud Dahme. In October, a large audience attended a powerful event featuring guest speaker Eugenie Mukeshimana, a survivor of the Rwanda genocide and founder of the Genocide Survivors Support Network.
The Legacy Project’s first program took place in December of 2013 and focused on the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement. Soeun’s appearance will mark the fifth program in the series.
The Legacy Project is co-sponsored by the Bridging Cultures Initiative and Diversity Committee at CCM and is co-chaired by Altieri, Communication; Professor Emily Birx, English and Philosophy; and Professor John Soltes, Communication.
For more information, please call 973-328-5469.
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Photo: Cambodian genocide survivor Sayon Soeun will be the guest speaker for The Legacy Project at County College of Morris on Thursday, February 12, at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Community Center, Dragonetti Auditorium.
Credit: The Gardner Documentary Group
