‘Cambodians Rock the Vote’—in Globe’s ‘Diversity Boston’ Mag

June 14, 2011 by PaulM Posted in Culture, History, Lowell, Politics 3 Comments

The Sunday, June 12, Boston Globe included a special magazine section “Diversity Boston” that prominently featured an article about growing voter activism among Cambodian-Americans in Lowell. Sovanna Pouv of the United Teen Equality Center was profiled as a community organizer intent on registering new Cambodian-American voters. I could not find a link online at boston.com, otherwise I would post the link here. The most recent Diversity Boston issue online is Winter 2010, so maybe it is not up yet. There’s a large photograph of Sovanna Pouv upstairs at UTEC and a second of him on the street. Reporter Milton J. Valencia says the Cambodian-American voter number has risen 40 percent in less than ten years.

The article includes a graph of “Racial and Ethnic Makeup of Lowell,” showing 52.8 percent White, 6 percent Black, 17.3 percent Hispanic, 20 percent Asian, and 3.9 percent Other. By comparison, Massachusetts is 76.1 percent White and 5.3 percent Asian, with the Black population at 6 percent and Hispanic at 9.6 percent (Other is 3 percent).

3 Responses to ‘Cambodians Rock the Vote’—in Globe’s ‘Diversity Boston’ Mag

  1. George DeLuca says:

    There’s an old Steely Dan song that has a line “If you live in this world, you’re feeling the change of the guard.”

    It’s great to see the Southeast Asian community rallying to “rock the vote” this Novermber, as coalitions form to help voters get registered, especially with two candidates in the race for City Council. Hopefully, more will get involved politically by applying for committee and commission posts, and economically by opening businesses downtown, incubating businesses through UML or CTI programs, etc.

    One positive about having the High School downtown is when school lets out … that’s the best time to experience the diversity of the City in the downtown area. It’s a pleasant experience unless perhaps your isolated in your car. But if you’re out there in the midst of things, it’s remarkable when you realize, “This is what Lowell feels like now.”

    As you’ve noted, the politics of Lowell haven’t yet caught up to the demographics of the City, but the race is on and I’m looking forward to continued progress. Sustainability Week is upon us … and there are several visioning sessions coming up to contemplate what would make for a better Lowell as we forge on the latest quest to update the Master Plan. Let’s hope the participation reflects the diversity of the City.

    One of the best things about Lowell is that when the world faces its most difficult challenges, Lowellians march on with flags raised. Happy Flag Day to all those who believe that “art is the handmaid of human good!”

  3. Dean says:

    I live in a town . What is the actual number of registered Cambodian voters in Lowell today ?