Swe Swe Aye | Myanmar Gazette
In a city as diverse and dynamic as Los Angeles, parks transcend their role as mere green spaces; they become essential catalysts for community building and urban development. This is particularly true for the Burmese community in Culver City, where Veterans Park has emerged as a cornerstone of connection.
Finding Community
While Los Angeles City provides 661 parks, Culver City offers 13 diverse spaces, including specialized facilities for seniors and sports enthusiasts. However, a significant demographic shift occurred in Culver City between the late 1980s and early 2000s. Thousands of Burmese immigrants, primarily Burmese Muslims, arrived from Myanmar, establishing a thriving community. Their growing presence led to the formation of the Burmese Welfare Association in 2002, highlighting the community’s need for support and connection within their new home.
Veterans Memorial Park has become a pivotal gathering place for the Burmese community in Los Angeles, hosting the Burmese Welfare Association’s annual Eid Festival since 2003. “When we hold our annual festival at Veterans Memorial Park, it is convenient for people to come and enjoy the shade during the hot afternoon sun. It is also convenient for the elderly to sit and rest,” explains U Aung Nyunt, a founding member of the association.
The festival, which draws over 500 attendees annually, transcends religious boundaries, becoming a significant community event.
“It’s more than just a religious festival,” Nyunt emphasizes. “Non-Muslim Burmese people from all over Los Angeles come. The Southern California Burmese Association members come from San Gabriel Valley, like Monterey Park, Alhambra, Arcadia, Covina, Azusa. The Burmese community in the San Fernando Valley also comes, so we, the Burmese community in Los Angeles, gather together at Veterans Memorial Park.”
Beyond Celebrations
Veterans Memorial Park transforms into a vibrant hub of celebration each spring (or summer as the date shifts from one year to the next) as the Burmese Welfare Association hosts its annual Eid festival. From noon to 5 p.m., the park buzzes with activity: prayers beneath the shade of mature trees, communal potluck lunches under the park’s canopy, and the joyful sounds of children playing on the playground.
Htwe of Hawthorne, a mother of two, notes, “The kids enjoy coming to this community festival every year because they get to play with other kids on the playground.” Beyond the playground, piñatas dangle from high branches, drawing lines of eager children, while groups of women gather in the shade, sharing laughter and games.
“We women play right next to the kids hitting the piñatas… We can also have fun and hang out together,” Htwe explains, emphasizing the park’s welcoming atmosphere. “The weather outside the park can sometimes be over 80 degrees, but Veterans Memorial Park has grass and shade, so those who come to the festival can enjoy the cool weather and fresh air inside the park.”
Veterans Memorial Park has become a crucial site for the Burmese Welfare Association’s philanthropic endeavors, particularly in providing funeral services for Burmese Muslims in the United States. Beyond Eid celebrations, the park serves as a venue for funeral fundraisers and organizational meetings.
“This park has been a critical part of our organization’s philanthropic efforts for over 20 years, from our founding in 2002 to 2025,” explains Aung Nyunt. He cites the park’s accessibility for the association’s executives, many of whom reside in Culver City, and its affordable rental rates for non-profit organizations as key factors, underscoring the park’s vital role in supporting the community during times of need.
Youth Empowerment
The growth of Los Angeles’s Burmese Muslim community led to the 2013 founding of the Burmese American Muslim Association (BAMA) by young Muslims. Founded in 2013 by young Burmese Muslims, BAMA focuses on empowering local youth and teenagers, utilizing Veterans Memorial Park as a central hub for their activities.
BAMA hosts two annual events at the park: a youth-centric Eid festival in June (noon to 10 p.m.) and an Iftar celebration in early March. Ko Maung Aye, BAMA’s founder and chairman, emphasizes the park’s accessibility and meeting spaces as essential to the organization’s development. “At Veterans Memorial Park, there are rooms in the park and an indoor building that can hold meetings for 10 to 20 people,” he explains. “We held meetings in these rooms and established BAMA in 2013, and we still hold important meetings for the association here regularly.”
Veterans Memorial Park’s Teen Center became a hub of festive activity as the Burmese American Muslim Association hosted its Eid and Iftar celebrations. The events featured communal meals, spirited competitions like tug-of-war and chair races for women and children, and age-appropriate games with prizes. High school students also showcased their talents in a speech contest, fostering youth development within the community.
“Our club prioritizes youth,” explained Aye. “Veterans Memorial Park’s versatile indoor and outdoor spaces allow us to comfortably accommodate our large community gatherings. The Teen Center’s kitchen facilitates meal preparation, and we utilize both the indoor and outdoor areas for dining, games, and evening worship on the lawn. With over 700 attendees spanning from midday to night, the park’s expansive grounds ensure that everyone enjoys the celebrations. After dinner, the men engage in Chinlone (cane ball) games on the lawn, allowing for a comfortable flow of people within the Teen Center. The park’s generous space is crucial for our community’s large-scale events.”
The Eid and Iftar celebrations, organized collaboratively by the Burmese Welfare Association and the Burmese American Muslim Association, drew attendees from across the greater Los Angeles area. Families traveled from South Gate, Compton, Rancho Cucamonga, Long Beach, Hawthorne, and even Calabasas, demonstrating the park’s regional significance.
“Our family’s American life began in Culver City,” shared Sohail Kanamya, secretary of the Burmese American Muslim Association. “Since our arrival, every Burmese Welfare Association event and meeting has been held at Veterans Memorial Park. Every year, we have come here, and this park has become like family to us. We have moved to Compton, but we always come back to Veterans Memorial Park for every event held by the Burmese Welfare Association and the Burmese American Muslim Association.”
Shaping a New Generation
For Nora Maung, a junior high school student at Upland High School, Veterans Park is more than just a public space; it’s a living archive of her childhood and a cornerstone of her community involvement. ‘Veterans Park honestly feels like a second home to me,’ she shares, her voice imbued with a sense of belonging. “I’ve been going there since I was an infant, and I’ve seen our community grow with me.”
Her memories are vivid, filled with the vibrant energy of Eid celebrations, the playful rivalry of musical chairs, and the exhilarating chaos of a bursting piñata. Now, as a young adult, Nora finds fulfillment in contributing to these very events. “It’s cool to be older now and help out at these events,” she reflects, emphasizing the park’s pivotal role in fostering community connections. “‘”The park has been a place where I’ve seen friendships form, people reconnect, and new families find their place. It holds a lot of good memories and means a lot to all of us.”
Park as Refuge
Veterans Park’s significance to the Culver City Burmese community extends to providing solace and connection during challenging times. As Ko Maung Aye explains, the park became a vital resource during the COVID-19 pandemic: “We came to this park to do physical exercise and get some fresh air, and in the evening, our youth from Culver City came to play hoops. People from the community regularly meet at Veteran Park while playing sports.” This regular use, encompassing everything from senior evening walks to games for younger residents in the evenings, demonstrates the park’s enduring value as a place for both physical activity and community cohesion.
Rohingya Advocacy
Veterans Memorial Park has also served as a critical platform for the Culver City Burmese Muslim community to raise awareness about the Rohingya Genocide in Myanmar. In 2012, the Los Angeles Rohingya Association, founded by young Burmese Muslims in Culver City, partnered with the Burmese American Muslim Association to host genocide scholars at the park. This collaboration facilitated vital discussions and awareness-raising activities, underscoring the park’s role as a space for both community building and social activism.
Veterans Memorial Park has been the site of impactful events, including discussions with Dr. Maung Zarni, university professors, and congressional officials, organized by the Los Angeles Rohingya Association and BAMA. “This initiative brings many positive outcomes,” explained Ko Ko Naing, a founding member of the Los Angeles Rohingya Association and a co-founder of BAMA. “It helps the community come together, fosters a sense of belonging, and encourages acts of love and care through donations to those in need. Additionally, it raises awareness about the genocide in Burma and supports democracy.” Naing also highlighted the park’s role in bridging community gaps and facilitating meaningful occasions like the annual Ramadan Iftar and Eid party. “These events help bridge gaps within the community, and our annual Ramadan Iftar and Eid party etc. serves as a meaningful occasion for sharing and caring,” he stated.
Naing, a key figure in both associations, recalled his most meaningful experiences as those spent organizing these awareness events, particularly concerning the Rohingya genocide. He emphasized the critical role these events played in prompting the U.S. State Department’s official recognition of the genocide, especially during a period of global silence. “These efforts played a role in the U.S. State Department officially recognizing the genocide,” Naing reiterated. He further underscored the park’s significance in fostering community and interfaith connections, and its continued importance as a hub for new Myanmar immigrants to connect and contribute.
Trust and Growth
Ko Maung Aye attributes the enduring 20-year relationship between the Culver City Burmese community and Veterans Park to a foundation of mutual trust and respect. “The park administration knows us well,” he explains, “and when we rent, they trust us, and we are happy to work with the park and the community.” This trust, he emphasizes, is built upon adherence to park regulations, maintaining cleanliness and safety, and the park’s affordability for their non-profit organization. “Veteran Park offers both residential discounts and a set price for nonprofits, so it’s budget-friendly,” he adds.
Looking ahead, Aye expresses optimism about the City of Los Angeles’s efforts to reassess and improve its parks. “This is encouraging for our community,” he states, “because when the parks improve, the community improves with them. We hope that our community will continue to thrive and grow with the parks for many generations to come.”
This story was produced by Ethnic Media Services in collaboration with the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS) at UCLA as part of the Greening American Cities initiative supported by the Bezos Earth Fund. Read more stories like this by visiting the Greening Communities homepage.
