NATIONAL DIRECTOR SARATH SUONG’S LEADERSHIP TRANSITION LETTER

Greetings,

Over twenty years ago, Southeast Asian Freedom Network came together to form a united front against the deportation of Cambodian refugees. We aimed to build a movement to defend our families from state violence, to build local grassroots power in Southeast Asian communities, and to do all of this from a queer and gender justice lens. We are now a national movement family of organizations, campaigns, and projects working to move our people towards abolition.

Since 2020, SEAFN officially became an organization with an operating budget, paid staff, and an Advisory Board. I became our first National Director. We’ve built an amazing team of women, femme, queer and trans folks who grew the organization by developing our infrastructure, launching programs for the most vulnerable in our communities, and launching the Southeast Asian Relief and Responsbility (SEARR) platform as a strategy to stop the deportation of our people. 

After two years as SEAFN’s National Director, I will be transitioning out of this role. Building a national organization with member groups is not easy especially during a global pandemic, uncertain philanthropic shifts, and continued attacks on our communities by ICE and DHS. I underestimated the toll these external factors took on me, especially on my mental and emotional health. After it was clear that I/SEAFN needed more support, the Advisory Board moved in to help hold SEAFN and move us forward. I will fully move out of SEAFN leadership by the end of this year. 

SEAFN Advisory Board, staff, and I are currently working to make sure the transition is a smooth and generative one. In the meantime, below is the list of contacts for SEAFN:

Transitions are often never easy. We will surely need the support of our movement family, allies, and comrades during this time as we revise and restructure SEAFN to be the best organization it can be. We are confident that through this process, both SEAFN and I will become stronger than ever and more committed to the liberation of our people.

In movement,

Sarath and SEAFN