Civil servant, nonprofit advocate, community leader and mom—Long Beach City Councilmember Dr. Suely Saro is a woman of local and worldwide action whose heritage has guided the course of her life.
Suely's own life story reads like a novel. Born in a refugee camp to parents who survived the Cambodian Genocide, she understood the immigrant experience first-hand.
Dr. Saro began her career as a labor organizer, working alongside janitors and healthcare workers in their fight for fair wages and better working conditions. Her dedication to justice, opportunity and equity led her to launch the Cambodian-based Women for Women Foundation, to become the first Cambodian American Executive Director of Khmer Girls in Action and later to run for city council.
Title of Book: Afterparties
Author: Anthony Veasna So
Why is this book a “must-read”?
“As the daughter of genocide survivors from Cambodia, I wanted to learn and understand their experience: what happened, and how that contributes to shaping my identity. I grew up reading stories by survivors of their experience during the genocide, escaping it, and resettling in America. However, Afterparties is one of the few books that offers some portraits of the Cambodian American experience.
“While the short stories are fictional, they offer insight into common questions to discover your identity, where and how you belong, and how you connect with your parents, family, friends, and community. In Afterparties, the author uses his humor to share stories of experiences I can connect with. The stories are funny, emotional, and relatable. They are stories of self-discovery that all can relate to, whether or not you are Cambodian American. Having stories told by a Cambodian American adds to the voices and perspectives of the American experiences.”
Reading is an important part of lifelong learning for Dr. Saro: “It not only increases your literacy skills, but also allows you to consider opinions and perspectives from other people you may not normally have access to. It opens you to a world of knowledge, imagination, and perspectives different from your own. I believe that allows a person to open their mind, grow, and connect with people in meaningful ways.”
Dr. Saro’s relationship with libraries had a bumpy start: “My aunt took me to the Echo Park Library in the City of Los Angeles. I hated reading and struggled with it since I had challenges learning to speak, read, and write English. She insisted on taking me to the public library every month, when the books were due to be checked out, to get new ones. As my English literacy improved, I eventually loved reading because of her.” From that point on, Dr. Saro’s library card was well-used. She pushed against the odds to earn three degrees: a bachelor's in molecular cellular developmental biology from UCSC; a master's in public administration from CSU, Long Beach and a doctorate in education (Ed.D) and organizational leadership from the University of La Verne, and now is the first Cambodian American to serve on the Long Beach City Council.
