Mayor, Khmer community meet over tea

LYNN – It took an invitation to tea to earn their trust, but the Cambodian community came to City Hall Tuesday and met Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy with open arms.”I think they feel government is too big for them,” said Councilor at large Hong Net. “So this is a good thing. They know they are welcome here.”Mayoral aide AJ Saing put together the event, Tea with the Mayor, as a way to break the ice between local government and the Khmer community.The Cambodian community took root in the early 1980s and has been growing steadily ever since. Saing said old habits, such as fear or antipathy of the government, have not faded. He wanted a casual event to put people at ease and Kennedy did not let him down.A table laid out with num anksom, a “Cambodian cake” made of sticky rice, mung beans and pork, cookies and, of course, tea lay between Kennedy and her Khmer constituents.”I think the best way to socialize is over food so I think everyone should come up and join me, and we can have cake and tea and some coffee and socialize,” she said.Minutes later, Kennedy was in the midst of a sea of new friends, posing for pictures and greeting small children.Phumana Phim, 24, came to the event after she saw a flyer posted in a local Cambodian market. Phim has lived in the U.S. for about eight years and recently graduated from Merrimack College with a degree in accounting.”I wanted a chance to meet her,” she said with a nod toward Kennedy. “In Cambodia you don’t get a chance to meet the mayor and I wanted to meet the mayor. This is also my first time in (City Hall) and I wanted to check the place out.”PoSan Ung, pastor of the Living Fields Church, greeted community members like old friends, welcoming them into the gathering. He said he thinks the Khmai avoided City Hall in the past for several reasons.”Partly due to recent history, the language barrier, the cultural barrier,” he said. “This is a wonderful education process for the community to help make a better Lynn. Everyone needs to feel welcomed.”Ung said his church has worked with students from Gordon College who have spent time visiting homes with small children. He said the college students were shocked to find a community so different right in their own backyard but now they are aware and that is good.Jill Frucci and Karin Adams came not to meet Kennedy ?they worked on her campaign – but to meet the Khmer community. Adams said she was curious, Frucci joked that they came for a little culture.Kennedy was pleased with the event, which brought about 50 people into the auditorium.”It’s good, especially for some of the elders,” she said. “The Cambodia they remember is of repression and fear. I want them to know that in America and particularly in Lynn we’re friendly in government. As they say, ?I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'”The best way to convey that message is in person, Kennedy said.”Now when these people go home they’ll talk to their friends and family, and maybe they won’t be so afraid,” she said.