Burma
RicefieldsTerraced rice fields. Myanmar. Burma is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia bordered by China, Thailand, India, Laos and Bangladesh. Its population of over 60 million makes it the world's 24th most populous country[1] and, at 676,578 km2 (261,227 sq mi), it is the world's 40th largest country and the second largest in Southeast Asia (Source: wikipedia).
Cambodia
RicefieldsCambodia; Khmer: ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, Kampuchea, officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia and once known as the Khmer Empire, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia (Source: wikipedia).
Laos
National Flower: Dok ChampaThis evocative tropical flower, with its sweet romantic fragrance, is seen everywhere from north to south in Laos, most especially decorating the vats and monasteries. You might even receive a string of these white-and-yellow flowers around your neck as a welcoming gesture, or see a bunch of them used to decorate a ceremony, But everywhere the meaning of Dok Champa for Laotians is the same : Joy in life and sincerity. (http://tourismlaos.org/)
Thailand
RicefieldsJasmine Rice. Thailand: ราชอาณาจักรไท, is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. Thailand is the world's 51st-largest country in terms of total area, with an area of approximately 513,000 km2 (198,000 sq mi), and is the 20th-most-populous country, with around 64 million people (Source: wikipedia).
Vietnam
RicefieldsVillage and Rice field curves. Lao Cai Province. Vietnam is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. With an estimated 90.3 million inhabitants as of 2012, it is the world's 13th-most-populous country, and the eighth-most-populous Asian country (Source: wikipedia).
Who We Are
The Southeast Asian Arts & Culture Coalition of San Francisco was founded in 2011 by various ethnic interest groups across the San Francisco Bay Area. We saw a lack of cultural promotion and preservation in the Southeast Asian community, and knew that there had to be a change. The coalition was started to help address a need in the Tenderloin community for more cultural awareness.The Tenderloin neighborhood has a long history of being an area with a large concentration of immigrants from Southeast Asia. While the neighborhood does hold annual events celebrating one specific Southeast Asian culture at a time, we wanted to create a strong coalition representing multiple cultures that would work together to share different aspects of each heritage and country in one place, and at one time.
We wanted to celebrate the diversity of the neighborhood, bringing awareness to the general public about some of the ethnic groups living there, and to promote the visibility of the multiples heritages of the immigrants living in the area. This has evolved into a general goal to expand the reach of SEAACC's events from the Tenderloin neighborhood, to the San Francisco Bay Area as a whole.
SEAACC-SF is currently made up of five (but not limited to) colorful ethnicities which include: Burmese-American, Cambodian-American, Laotian-American, Thai-American, and Vietnamese-American. The diverse participation of our organization allows us to bring in a multitude of people from all walks of life, each of which shares something unique and new to our organization. Its founding members include representatives from the following organizations listed below.
- Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center
- Burmese Youth Association (BYA)
- International Lao New Year Festival
- Lao Seri Association
- Laotian American National Alliance
- Samaki Project
- San Francisco Recreation & Park
- South East Asian Cultural Heritage & Music Performing Arts (SEACHAMPA)
- SEAACC Tenderloin Residents
- Samaki Project
- Tenderloin Economic Development Project
- Cambodian School of San Francisco
- Cambodian Community Development
- Khmer Angkor dance Troupe
- Laos Traditional Instrumental Music & Cultural Dance Troupe
- Thai San Bruno Temple
We have chosen to focus on the arts and culture of each ethnic group as a way to unify our group while also sharing our differences. The five various subjects we exhibit are: Language, Food, Textiles, Traditional Dance & Musical Instruments, and the New Year. As a non-profit organization that focuses on primarily on promoting and educating the beautiful arts and cultural aspect of multiple Southeast Asian backgrounds, SEAACC-SF is completely community-led and do not hold any political affiliation, nor do we support any particular political views.
We will continue to hold events in the Tenderloin neighborhood, but we hope to also encourage people living in other areas to come to our local events to learn more and to experience the beauty of each Southeast Asian ethnic culture.
Our Vision
SEAACC’s vision stems from the 3 P’s:• Preserve – Embrace and cultivate the historical impact that arts and culture has provided within the Southeast Asian community.
• Promote – We believe that cultural advancement and ethnic identity comes from an awareness of how one’s roots play a significant role in community development.
• Practice – Education and theory is useless without application. Different cultural and social activities are held in the San Francisco Bay Area so that anyone and everyone can be involved and engaged within the community.