“April 30, 1975 - In the early hours of the 30th, the last helicopter to evacuate US officials and some South Vietnamese allies pulled out, and not too longer after, Saigon fell to the Vietcong. So as we remember the US soldiers and the war that the US didn’t win, let’s not forget the Vietnamese refugees, the Hmong who were abandoned despite their assistance to the CIA, the rise of the Khmer Rouge because of the US bombings in Cambodia and its aftermath, etc. The Vietnam War has a huge grip on the American conscience, and what we learn in textbooks that does not do justice to the million of lives who have been impacted by war, both here and abroad.
This picture by Hubert Van Es captures a helicopter on an apartment building rooftop in downtown Saigon where CIA employees were housed. Though the setting has been mistaken to be the US Embassy in South Vietnam, it essentially gives the sense of desperation that was rampant among the South Vietnamese this time 38 years ago.”
Donate to SASC Summer Institute 2013
Please donate to SASC SI here.
The Southeast Asian Student Coalition’s (SASC) mission is:
“To unite Southeast Asian Communities, particularly those bounded by the historical context of the Viet Nam War, and to address the economic inequalities, social injustices, and political under-representation that they face.”
SI is an all-expense paid, five-day educational program hosted at UC Berkeley that connects high school students and community members nationwide. We bring 36 high school students from all over the country to address Southeast Asian underrepresentation in higher education and low recruitment and retention rates.
20% of US population DO NOT have a high school diploma
20% of Asian Americans DO NOT have a high school diploma
Compare this to
38% of Vietnamese Americans, 50% of Laotian Americans,
54% of Cambodian Americans, 60% of Hmong Americans
DO NOT HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA
The US National Average for a Bachelors Degree:28.8%
US National Average for Asian Americans for a Bachelors Degree: 44%
While 7.5% of Hmong Americans and 9.4% of Laotian Americans have a Bachelor’s Degree.
By connecting students to their culture and history, we aim to foster young leaders and empower students to create social change.
Current High School Students grades 9-12,
If you identify as Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian/Khmer, Lu-Mien, Hmong, Hmoob or any other Southeast Asian ethnic, cultural identity, we welcome and encourage you to apply to this 5 day summer program opportunity!
The Southeast Asian Student Coalition Summer Institute (SASC SI) is a five-day program held at UC Berkeley that allows Southeast Asian youth to further learn and explore about their community, culture, people’s history, and self-identity.
You will also get the opportunity to meet other high school students from California and even students from out of state. You will be paired up with college mentors that will offer you guidance and support. Aside from travel-arrangements (which can be worked out), this program is an all-expense paid trip. You’ll get to live in the college dorms with other high school students, you’ll be fed delicious 3 course meals for 5 days, and you’ll get to experience what it’d be like to be a college student in a college atmosphere!
SASC Summer Institute is seeking motivated high school students with diverse experiences and backgrounds. Academic performance is not a factor in the acceptance of participants, thus, all are encouraged to apply.
SASC SI Mentee Applications have been extended and are now due at the end of this weekend Sunday; March 31, 2013!
Access the online Mentee application here: tinyurl.com/si2013app
You can also download the application off our site here.
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The Green Papaya is a community blog and online forum where the Southeast Asian community may share its stories. Its goal is to provide an online space that engages the SEA community, fosters voices within that community, and also raise awareness about that community. If you wish to submit a post,click here.
Current High School Students grades 9-12,
If you identify as Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian/Khmer, Lu-Mien, Hmong, Hmoob or any other Southeast Asian ethnic, cultural identity, we welcome and encourage you to apply to this 5 day summer program opportunity!
The Southeast Asian Student Coalition Summer Institute (SASC SI) is a five-day program held at UC Berkeley that allows Southeast Asian youth to further learn and explore about their community, culture, people’s history, and self-identity.
You will also get the opportunity to meet other high school students from California and even students from out of state. You will be paired up with college mentors that will offer you guidance and support. Aside from travel-arrangements (which can be worked out), this program is an all-expense paid trip. You’ll get to live in the college dorms with other high school students, you’ll be fed delicious 3 course meals for 5 days, and you’ll get to experience what it’d be like to be a college student in a college atmosphere!
SASC Summer Institute is seeking motivated high school students with diverse experiences and backgrounds. Academic performance is not a factor in the acceptance of participants, thus, all are encouraged to apply.
SASC SI Mentee Applications are due next week Friday, March 15th!
Access the online Mentee application here: tinyurl.com/si2013app
You can also download the application off our site here.
___
The Green Papaya is a community blog and online forum where the Southeast Asian community may share its stories. Its goal is to provide an online space that engages the SEA community, fosters voices within that community, and also raise awareness about that community. If you wish to submit a post, click here.
Ao dai on the streets of Saigon half a century ago
SASC SI Mentee Applications are out & accessible online! Say whatttt?
SASC Summer Institute is a 5 day, all-expense paid summer program that provides a safe and constructive learning environment. Participants will be matched with a college mentor who can offer guidance specific to a student’s needs. This program provides an exciting experience for students who are interested in pursuing higher education as well as exploring their cultural background. SASC Summer Institute is seeking motivated high school students with diverse experiences and backgrounds. Academic performance is not a factor in the acceptance of participants, thus, all are encouraged to apply.
Access the online Mentee application here:
tinyurl.com/si2013app
***Note: You willy have to download the file as a Microsoft Word by clicking on the top left.
Ăn Tết with The People's Kitchen and VietUnity (Oakland, California)
What:
Ăn Tết is a pay-what-you-can community dinner between The People’s Kitchen and VietUnity. This family-style dinner will feature live music, performance, and a multi-course meal celebrating Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.
Where:
Oakland, California
When:
Saturday, February 23, 2013 | 6-9pm
Why:
The community celebration and fundraising dinner, “Ăn Tết” is meant to re-enliven the traditional foods and foodways that have been in VietUnity’s family members during this time of the Lunar New Year and celebrate ancestors who have fought colonialism and imperialism and honored land and people.
Vietnam Gay Marriage News Brings Hope, Uncertainty To Gay Vietnamese Americans
The older she gets, the harder it is for Diana Bui to hide her sexual orientation from her big Vietnamese family. At 29, she’s well past the traditional age for marriage, and she’s running out of excuses to explain her single status, not to mention her short, asymmetrical haircut. So far, she said, only her mother, her brother, and a cousin in Vietnam know she identifies as queer.
But this weekend, that might change. The Washington, D.C., resident is heading home to California for a family reunion, and she’s ready to talk with her extended family about a side of her life she hasn’t discussed since her early 20s, when she first realized she was attracted to women. After the recent news, the subject feels almost unavoidable.
In late July, to Bui’s shock, the Vietnamese government announced that it may change its position and recognize same-sex marriages as legal unions. On Sunday, more than a hundred activists biked through Vietnam’s capital, trailing rainbow-colored streamers and shouting, “Equal rights for gays and lesbians,” the Associated Press reported.
Some Vietnamese Children Still Live with Agent Orange Problem
(via)
The United States began a landmark project on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012 to clean up a dangerous chemical left from the defoliant Agent Orange — 50 years after American planes first sprayed it on Vietnam’s jungles to destroy enemy cover. Dioxin, which has been linked to cancer, birth defects and other disabilities, is the dangerous chemical left from the defoliant Agent Orange.
The U.S. military dumped some 20 million gallons (75 million liters) of Agent Orange and other herbicides on about a quarter of former South Vietnam between 1962 and 1971, decimating about 5 million acres (2 million hectares) of forest — roughly the size of Massachusetts.
The Agent Orange issue has continued to blight the U.S.-Vietnam relationship because dioxin can linger in the environment for decades, entering the food supply through the fat of fish and other animals.
It is still unclear how much dioxin the U.S. will help clean up in the long term and how much it will allocate for people who claim to be Agent Orange victims.
Photos (Aug. 7, 2012) :
1. Vo Thi Thuy Nga, 24, left, and her uncle Vo Duoc sit inside their home in Danang, Vietnam. She was born with physical and mental disabilities that a rehabilitation center’s director said were caused by their parents’ exposure to the chemical dioxin in the defoliant Agent Orange.
2. Chu Thanh Nhan, 12, sits in an empty classroom at a rehabilitation center in Danang, Vietnam.
3. Dang Cong Chinh, center, plays with other children at a rehabilitation center in Danang, Vietnam.
4. Le Trung Hong Phuc, 9, plays with colored blocks at a rehabilitation center in Danang, Vietnam. The children were born with physical and mental disabilities that the center’s director says were caused by their parents’ exposure to the chemical dioxin in the defoliant Agent Orange.
[Credit : Maika Elan / AP]
(via makemesmile613)
Source: fotojournalismus
Reflections on the 2012 APIASF Higher Education Summit
By Charles Nguyen
My experience at the 2012 APIASF Higher Education Summit has inspired me more than I had anticipated. As a Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Thai American, I was well aware of the poor higher education attainment rates and severe lack of role models in professional degrees among Southeast Asians reflected in my community. However, the shocking data presented in the CARE report made me realize how seriously disadvantaged Southeast Asians were in higher education. For instance, I was appalled to learn that 42.9% of Cambodian-Americans who enrolled in college did not complete a degree. Of the rest who did earn a degree, only 7.6% earned an advanced degree. The data was even more alarming for other ethnic groups.
I realized the model minority myth is still as present as ever and continues to render minority groups invisible from the help they need and deserve. Because of the tendency to aggregate all Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) ethnic groups under one umbrella, the problems and realities AAPIs face are left unaddressed and unseen. As a result, deserving AAPIs are not included in “minority” descriptions and receive significantly less funding for scholarships and AAPI serving schools, and left out of programs designed to help disadvantaged groups.
