Congratulations, Mei Mei Long, a graduate student in the Political Science
Department, for winning the 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award.
The URI Chaplains Association and URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace
Studies recognized Mei Mei for many years of voluntary contribution to
humanitarian efforts, peace, and harmony in Rhode Island and the larger world.
Mei Mei Long is a master’s degree student studying International Relations with a
concentration in International Development in the Department of Political Science.
She completed her bachelor’s in human development and Family Studies at URI.
She came to the United States when she was six years old. She said, “it wasn’t easy to adjust,” because she did not speak English then. Not too long ago, Cambodia, her
home country, experienced genocide, and millions of the Cambodian population
lost their lives. She said, “growing up, I heard about the unthinkable violence my
relatives and many people have experienced.” From then on, she realized that our
world needs to change for betterment, and each individual has a responsibility.
She felt that often, political debates focus on the bigger picture and overlook the
power of community work that contributes to the growth of humanitarian efforts,
peace, and harmony. She volunteered at the Center for Southeast Asians, a non-
profit organization, for many years and have enjoyed learning about other cultures.
She initiated repaying kindness and spreading positivity from her home community
in Rhode Island to the larger world. As a first-generation college student, she hopes
to bring her leadership skills to a global level for peace and the common good.
