“Unselfish”

Kim Kevin Sin

Khmer| Rochester, MN | he/him/his | Public Sector

As a child, I shed so many tears of pain. These tears are still with me even as an adult. 

When I came to America as a young kid, I was discriminated against at school. I didn’t know how young innocent children could be so mean and have so much hate toward a person like me. At the time, we would have called this discrimation or bullying, but today it could be defined as hate crime. When I was a young kid, my mom taught me to always be kind and care for others. It didn’t matter how badly someone treated me, I would always smile and walk away. Like the old saying goes, “Kill them with kindness.”

During the pandemic, members of the Rochester Cambodian Association and I volunteered countless hours to help educate the Cambodian community about COVID-19, since 50 percent of our Cambodian community do not know how to read or write in English and Khmer. 

COVID-19 impacts the lives of people around the world and it is a dangerous virus. The only thing that would go through my mind is, how can I help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Rochester, Minnesota, in other states and in other parts of the world? 

Because COVID-19 was discovered in China, there has been a lot of misunderstanding and blame placed on Asian communities including those of us who are living in the US. Hate crimes against the Asian community have gone up tremendously because there is a  lack of understanding and spreading of misinformation about the COVID-19 virus.

When organizations and clinics ask for my services, I have always been willing to help out and go above and beyond, even though my participation took away valuable time with my children and my wife. In my mind, I have never thought of getting compensated for my time and effort that I have given to my community for over 20 years.

My tears continue to fall even though I have called America my home for 38 years. I ask myself, when will others accept me as an American?  My family and other refugees left their country for the same reason as other immigrants, because they were being persecuted. This is why I continue to do the work that I am doing today, so others can learn about my culture and I can learn about theirs. I hope one day we will all live in peace and see each other as human beings. 

Kim Kevin Sin is a professional in Rochester, MN and a graduate of RCTC, Winona State University. He is living the “American Dream.” He came to the US penniless as a refugee around 6 years old. He is a miracle; he escaped the Khmer Rouge with his family as a toddler. This was unheard of! Babies cry and this alerts the soldiers where the group is. Many children did not make it alive, and many people escaped without children since they were a liability. However, Kim, and his family, made it!