Institute for Asian American Studies
Robert Forrant, Chandaranee Khoeun and Chrisna Khuon
In the late 1970s and 1980s, a coalition of Southeast Asian and Latino parents in Lowell, MA fought a protracted battle to desegregate the public schools and realize equal educational opportunities for their children. While the struggle unfolded, acts of anti-Asian and anti-Latino violence were perpetrated in Greater Boston and around the country, including the tragic death of Vandy Phorng, a 13-year-old Cambodian American in 1987. Though it may not seem like it at first, this is a story of possibilities, of how a coalition of parents stood up to bigotry and entrenched political power and won.