Former U.S. ambassador speaking at ECC series
In the first of Elgin Community College's 2007-08 speakers series, Sichan Siv, Cambodian-born, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will discuss his extraordinary journey from Cambodia to America, lending personal insight of the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge in 1970s Cambodia.
The presentation, "Hope and Renewal: Life After Genocide," will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 18 and 1 p.m. Sept. 19 in the auditorium of the Advanced Technology Center (ATC 144) on ECC's main campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. It is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.
Though this conflict occurred nearly four decades ago, the historical legacy of the "killing fields" still resonates in the wake of ongoing atrocities world-wide.
The introduction will be given by Leon Lim, co-founder of the Cambodian American Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial.
Siv's personal story is compelling. As the only member of his family to survive the evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Siv eventually escaped the Khmer Rouge. In June 1976, he arrived in the U.S. with only $2 in his pocket. After working as an apple picker in Connecticut, he moved to Manhattan where he drove a cab and counseled refugees. He entered Columbia University's international affairs program, earning a master's degree in 1981. He became a U.S. citizen the following year.
In 1989, Siv became the first American of Asian ancestry to be appointed a deputy assistant to President of the United States, under George H. W. Bush. In 2001, he became the 28th U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. In addition to his presidential appointments, Siv has had a distinguished career in the private sector and is author of "Golden Bones," due to be published in spring of 2008.
A luncheon with Ambassador Siv will be held at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 19 in the Fox Valley University and Business Center dining room on ECC's main campus. Call 847-622-0300 by Wednesday to purchase your lunch. Cost is $12 per person.
Siv's visit is sponsored by ECC's liberal, visual and performing arts division. For details, call (847) 214-7864.