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-We are in Seattle’s Chintaown-

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International District,
and we are at mam's books.

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We are an Asian American
bookstore.

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 ♪ ♪

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This is my dad,

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Mam, the bookstore is named
after him.

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[broom sweeping]

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Hey, thank you pa.

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-He’s done a good job,
you know?

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My name, but I’m not 
especially about businessman,

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I’m just a worker.

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-Within the Asian American
diaspora,

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you know,
I think voices are often

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left out.

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I'm a Cambodian American myself. 
For this bookstore

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for instance,
I have pictures of my family

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throughout this bookstore
to show the Southeast

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Asian to show the Cambodian
American experience.

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I think oftentimes

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immigrants and refugees
are painted as outsiders.

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And I think I wanted to show
folks that,

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you know,
a lot of us are just kids.

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You see a lot

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of laughter in those videos,
a lot of joy.

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I think my parents
try to make it here;

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I think in this country,
that's what it shows.

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This is not my my store.

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This has everyone's
fingerprints on it.

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For the mentors
have got me in this community

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to know my parents
who surround me with books,

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like it's everyone's
fingerprints.

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-My name is Ron Chu, and

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I've worked in the
neighborhood for a long time.

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Several years ago,
I wrote a book titled

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“My Unforgotten Seattle,”
and I saw the world changing,

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my world vanishing
and then a new world emerging.

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I felt it was important
to capture those stories.

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What more appropriate place
to to sell my book

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than in a place
that really is about

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continuing the history of this
neighborhood and its legacy.

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[crowd chatter]

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-This is our 
first book talk

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and look at this room.
Can everyone just look around.

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[cheering and applause]

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-Our stories,
specifically as mine,

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has come full circle
in the sense that those of us

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who owned books and read books

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and wrote books
were murdered in our country.

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And now there is a bookstore
for us.

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-Sokha had this dream
of creating

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an Asian American bookstore
in the neighborhood.

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And I've watched it
evolve as he's bounced

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different ideas around
and he's made it happen.

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It's a very special place.

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-Thank you

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to a community,
Asian community,

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and the city, let Sokha

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have the opportunity 
to open the store

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and help people to get

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knowledge from here,

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because this is the store 
of knowledge.

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Thank you, my family.

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Thank you, my children.

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Thank you, everybody.

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 ♪ ♪