For Immediate Release
PDF Version Here
Sunday, October 20th, 2019

Contact: 
Tracy La, (858) 598-7805 | tracy@vietrise.org
SG Sarmiento, (202) 746-2099 | sgsarmiento@ndlon.org

CULTURAL FESTIVAL IN LITTLE SAIGON TO CELEBRATE SANCTUARY FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

25 years after Orange County was the birthplace of CA’s proposition 187, a new generation of youth are leading a cross-cultural movement to “bring human rights home” 

Little Saigon, Orange County, CA – On Sunday, October 20th, VietRISE and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) are hosting “We Celebrate Sanctuary Here,” a daylong community festival that will bring Vietnamese, Latino, and immigrant communities together in support of inclusion and solidarity, and in defiance of the re-animated politics of white supremacy.  

“Orange County is changing because of immigrant and refugee communities. We envision a county that is inclusive, that honors our cultures, and that upholds immigrant and human rights for all.” said Tracy La, Executive Director of VietRISE. “We reject the politics of hate and fear that some elected officials in Orange County have promoted and we will not stand by anti-immigrant rhetoric.”

“The power to defeat hate and trumpism won’t come from the top down,” said Salvador Sarmiento, National Campaign Director for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “It will come from grassroots organized communities coming together to reaffirm who we all are, to celebrate each other, and to defend our most fundamental civic guarantees. Today’s festival is a call to action, from the bottom of our hearts.”

What:  We Celebrate Sanctuary Here: Community Festival 
When:  Sunday, October 20, 11:00AM – 4:00PM (speakers 1:00-2:00PM) 
Where:  Atlantis Play Center, 13630 Atlantis Way, Garden Grove

This community festival is free and open to the public.  It will bring together art and cultural activities such as a live art installation painting, screen printing, Vietnamese lantern-making, and papel picado (Mexican “pecked paper”).  There will also be live music and performances from OC and LA bands, poets and DJ’s, as well as local immigrant-owned businesses, community organizations and educational resources for immigrant families and youth.