Our coalition, Santa Ana Families for Fair Election (SAFFE), held our first retreat of the year to plan our campaign to pass a ballot measure this November that would expand the right to vote to all residents in Santa Ana, regardless of immigration status. If you are interested in participating in this campaign, fill out this interest form here.

VietRISE’s Tu Luc School for Organizing is a 12-week after-school program designed for Vietnamese American youth aged 14-18 who are interested in deepening their understanding of social justice, activism, and community organizing. Through workshops, discussions, and hands-on activities, participants will learn more about power structures, develop leadership skills, and discuss Vietnamese identity and community activism. This program focuses on civic engagement, highlights Vietnamese American history, and strengthens participants’ connections to their cultural identity through language and cultural activities. Additionally, we provide three paid civic engagement internships in the Fall for youth who have completed the 12-week program. If you are interested in participating in this youth program, fill out this form to learn more when applications open this month.

Want to better understand what ICE transfers are, what it is like for community members to endure this experience, and how it disrupts and harms our communities? Check out this incredible comic by our partners at Asian Law Caucus.

Congratulations to our 2024 cohort: Ariana Vargas, Bradley Sien, & Clari Gao! For the past 10 weeks, our interns documented the 2019 Westminster and 2021 Santa Ana rent stabilization advocacy efforts through archiving related materials and conducting oral histories with community members and key advocates! Their dedication to maintaining the community’s history and stories represents a key need in documenting the community’s fight against housing injustice and the significant impact of multiracial solidarity between different communities in OC in ushering systemic change.

March 23rd was the inaugural Little Saigon Book Street, which is a mini book festival that celebrates Việt and Southeast Asian voices and stories. The event had an incredible line-up of panel discussions, book signings, local nonprofit (including VietRISE!) and artist features, and more. Thank you to Little Saigon Book Street and Matilija Books for making this amazing event happen!

On Friday, March 1st, Fountain Valley High School’s Student Advocates of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (SADIE) hosted their annual Day of Dialogue where community members are invited to speak with students on various social justice-oriented topics like mental health and allyship. VietRISE was invited as a presenter and shared our knowledge and experiences of using art in our advocacy and organizing within the Vietnamese American community. Students then participated in an art activity where they created their own collaborative “murals” to showcase the power they hold as community members to envision their futures through art. Thank you to FVHS’s SADIE for organizing a powerful event for their students’ growth!

This month, all of our members were trained by our team on how to host a Political Tour of Little Saigon here in OC! Members learned about the history of Vietnamese immigration to the United States and the history of the Vietnamese American community in Orange County. Be on the lookout for upcoming Political Tours of Little Saigon!