Preserving & Sharing Our Histories

The UMass Lowell Southeast Asian Digital Archive is a community-centered archive of cultural heritage materials from Southeast Asian American communities in the greater Lowell, Mass., region.

Mission Statement

The Southeast Asian Digital Archive seeks to collect, preserve, and share historical materials related to Southeast Asians in the Greater Lowell area, with particular focus on refugee resettlement and community building from the 1970s to the present. Our goal is to highlight Southeast Asian voices and viewpoints, and to educate the public about the resilience and diversity of Southeast Asian Americans.

At SEADA, we believe that it is important to preserve the histories of Southeast Asian communities in their own voices. By collecting, preserving, and sharing these stories, SEADA seeks to contribute to the understanding of Southeast Asians in the US.

  • 2nd

    Largest U.S. Cambodian American population located in Lowell

  • 1,200,000

    Southeast Asian refugees to the U.S. since 1975

  • Over 20%

    Lowell population classified as Asian American

View Our Collections

To see materials please visit:

SEADA at Omeka

Follow SEADA on Social Media

This project is made possible by support from: the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the UMass Creative Economy Initiatives Fund, the Lowell Cultural Council, the Chancellor’s 2020 Challenge Grant and donors like you.


Make a Donation to SEADA

Project Partners

UMass Lowell’s Center for Asian American Studies and Libraries are excited to partner with the following organizations on this project:

  • Angkor Dance Troupe

  • Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Lowell

  • Khmer Post USA

  • Lowell National Historical Park

  • SayDaNar Community Development Center was founded officially in 2012 and grew out of a network of volunteers, previously known in the city of Lowell as the Burma Volunteer Group (BVG). SayDaNar, with an experienced pool of volunteers including professionals of Burmese origin and people who have worked in Burma and in the refugee camps in Thailand, is well placed to support refugees from Burma to bridge the language and cultural barriers that otherwise inhibit community contribution, participation, and growth in the city of Lowell and Massachusetts.

    SayDaNar Community Development Center

  • Tsongas Industrial History Center