Gennie Gebhart

Gennie Gebhart is a graduate student in library and information science at the University of Washington. As a 2013-2014 Luce Scholar, she researched public Internet accessibility in Vientiane, Lao PDR, and worked with university libraries and Burmese refugee organizations in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Find her on Twitter @gegebhart, or contact her at gegebhart@gmail.com.
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The boy who painted this visual story dreamed of a world where impoverished ethnic Burmese villagers were considered as worthy of human rights as wealthy city dwellers. (Image courtesy of Erika Berg)

Young refugees from Burma speak through art

by Gennie Gebhart
By 2009, Burma became our state's largest refugee community.
Nov 19, 2014
Umbrellas, used by student protesters in Hong Kong to shield themselves from police pepper spray, have become symbols of the nacent pro-democracy movement. (Photo by Gennie Gebhart)

Umbrellas up: UW students turn out in force behind Hong Kong protests

by Gennie Gebhart
Seattle’s skies were clear on Wednesday night, but the University of Washington’s Red Square was a sea of umbrellas.
Oct 2, 2014
A family at a refugee camp in Thailand, where there are still 150,000 UN-recognized refugees unable to return home to Burma. (Photo by Mikhail Esteves)

Reacting to reforms in Burma, donors leave refugees high and dry

by Gennie Gebhart
Seattleites are donating 'one night out' this weekend to help Burmese refugees who've been forgotten by big international donors.
Sep 12, 2014

A dozen coups later, will Thailand ever be stable?

by Gennie Gebhart
It might still be a nice place to vacation, but Thursday's military coup was the latest indicator of years of government disfunction in Thailand.
May 22, 2014
Backpacker enjoying street food at a curbside cafe in Haiphong. (Photo from Flickr by HRamirez)

Sister city travel guide: Haiphong, Vietnam

by Gennie Gebhart
On a bus on my way to Haiphong,  Seattle’s Vietnamese sister city, I chatted with another young American about our travels. He mentioned that it was his “second tour through Vietnam.” Forty years ago, a “tour” in Vietnam meant something entirely different for young Americans. In the space of just one generation, the setting of […]
May 6, 2014
Dancers in traditional costumes at a New Year's parade in Laos. (Photo by Darren Donahue)

Seattle’s Lao refugees reconnect with their homeland

by Gennie Gebhart
Most Americans born after the Vietnam War know little about the country of Laos, much less about the U.S.’s contentious role in its history. But in Seattle, host to one of the largest Lao communities in the United States, Laotian culture and history are a vital part of our city. Pom Khampradith, Director of the […]
Mar 26, 2014
Team Meitan from Japan training around Phu Chi Fah, Thailand. (Photo by Steve Thomas)

Northern Thailand a cyclist’s dream

by Gennie Gebhart
A UW grad’s two-wheeled trek to understand Thai culture.
Mar 12, 2014