February Highlights: Vietnamese & Latinx Solidarity, Return of Youth Program, Upcoming Research Brief

Three community members are packing PPE.

Written by VietRISE

February 16, 2022

Dear Community,

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! Happy Lunar New Year! This holiday (Tết) represents a time of togetherness, joy, and hope for all who celebrate. To our VietRISE family, thank you for believing in and fighting for a better world with us this past year. We are forever in awe of our collective power to care and show up for one another; and we look forward to a new year together of bold organizing, solidarity, and wellness for us all.

As we welcome the new year, we at VietRISE are excited to announce that we are launching a monthly newsletter. We wish to personally update you on the exciting work we’ve been doing as an organization and keep you informed on news related to our ongoing campaigns in the broader Vietnamese and Orange County community. Here’s to 2022!

Mark Your Calendar & Get Involved

Lên Tiếng | Tiến Tới Application

Tue. 2/15 @ 9PM: Lên Tiếng | Tiến Tới Application Deadline

Lên Tiếng | Tiến Tới (Raise Your Voice | Charge Forward) is an 8-week program for young people (ages 14-18) who are interested in learning about Vietnamese identity, mental health wellness, community activism, and service.

PPE & KYR Distribution

Sat. 2/19 @ 12PM-4PM: FREE PPE & Know Your Rights Resources Distribution w/ Tenayuca Labor Project

Access to life-affirming health resources is a HUMAN RIGHT. As systems continue to fail to keep us safe, Vietnamese and Latinx community members in Little Saigon are jointly providing FREE PPE & know your rights resources. 

OC Vietnamese Voices

Thu. 2/24 @ 10AM: VietRISE & The Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley's Virtual Press Conference

What do Vietnamese Americans in Orange County want from the government and elected officials, and how do members of the older generations envision the future of the community? Learn more during this press conference as we unveil our 2022 research brief titled “Vietnamese Voices From Orange County, CA: Narratives of Community Government, & Change.” Please RSVP to receive the Zoom link. To invite your friends, check out our Facebook event.

Campaign News

Redistricting

Redistricting on the federal and state levels have concluded, while redistricting within local cities continues throughout the country. Our team has been working with residents across Little Saigon, specifically Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Westminster. Residents are often excluded from this political process so we co-formed redistricting committees in these cities to ensure city councils hear directly from residents. Learn more about our redistricting and civic engagement work here.

VISION Act

Redistricting on the federal and state levels have concluded, while redistricting within local cities continues throughout the country. Our team has been working with residents across Little Saigon, specifically Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Westminster. Residents are often excluded from this political process so we co-formed redistricting committees in these cities to ensure city councils hear directly from residents. Learn more about our redistricting and civic engagement work here.

Features

Người Việt - VietRISE độc hành trên con đường hoàn thiện lý tưởng kết nối cộng đồng

VietRISE spoke with Người Việt, the oldest and largest Vietnamese paper in the country,  about our vision and love for our community and how we are building and organizing for social justice in Little Saigon. Read the Việt to English translation here.

Voice of OC - OC Tet Festivities: COVID Concern or Change to Culturally Connect After Anti-Asian Hate?

With the return of important in-person festivities, ED, Tracy La, comments on the perverse usage of cultural community events by politicians to posture care for the community while refusing to address real issues impacting Vietnamese Americans.

Voice of OC - Voter Redistricting Faces Unwillingness, Hurdles in Some Little Saigon Cities, School Districts

This article is a follow-up to questions raised at city council by Garden Grove residents, VietRISE, and the Garden Grove Redistricting Committee regarding Garden Grove city council’s proposal to skip the redistricting process in late December.

Community Spotlight

Thank you to the following people for hosting fundraisers for VietRISE!

  • Dr. Thao Ha, PhD – who fundraised $1,720 for VietRISE for her birthday in late 2021.
  • Southeast Asian Student Association at UCI (SASA) who is fundraising $200 this month for VietRISE.

Your support is deeply appreciated and makes our work possible!

If you would like to host a fundraiser for VietRISE – please let us know by emailing Indigo@vietrise.org.

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OUR MISSION

VietRISE advances social justice and builds power with working-class Vietnamese and immigrant communities in Orange County. We build leadership and create systemic change through organizing, narrative change, cultural empowerment, and civic engagement.

VietRISE is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

CONTACT US

general@vietrise.org

(714) 589-5496

14351 Euclid St. #1M, Garden Grove, CA 92843