Troubling Borders:
Southeast Asian Women in the Diaspora

LEAKHENA LENG

Leakhena Leng is a 1.5-generation Khmer American refugee. She comes from a strong resilient people who survived the Khmer Rouge regime and are now in the US facing another kind of war and struggle. Her mother fled to a Thai refugee camp in 1979 where Leakhena was later born in 1980. She grew up in the projects of Seattle, Washington. With her mother’s love and determination to see her rise above the harsh conditions they found themselves in as displaced people, Leakhena was able to pursue a college education at the University of Washington earning a BA in English and a Master's in Social Work. She has dedicated herself to social justice work and building solidarity among her people.