[UVSAblog] Our indomitable spirit!
Bao Thien Ngo
I
woke up from a nap, heavy from the UVSA Olympics we had the Saturday
prior, in front of my laptop with notes and papers scattered across the
table of various UVSA-related things. My friend messages me over the
Internet to watch the video of Barack Obama's "A More Perfect Union"
speech. Towards the end Obama said, "And today, whenever I find myself
feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the
most hope is the next generation -- the young people whose attitudes
and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this
election."
Recognition. Sometimes that is what we the youths are
looking for. Just recognition for our deeds and efforts. The jarring
letter we received weeks ago who questioned what youths have done to
serve the Vietnamese community still ruminates in my mind. Maybe that
is why I am a writer; there are too many untold stories of our
struggles as youths, unnoticed by our parents and grandparents. Ever
since I began to regularly talk to my mother about the service work
that I do, things have been better between us -- there were no longer
questions as to why I stayed up late all the time (well, school too, of
course).
A week ago weather reports from all over the Internet
were forecasting that thunderstorms were to hit San Francisco on
Saturday, March 15th, the day our Olympics would happen. What was
particularly encouraging was comments mounting on our website of
individuals tossing their fear aside, enthused at the possibility of
playing in the rain and mudpits. Both fortunately and unfortunately, we
were rewarded with near-perfect weather that day, bringing in close to
150 attendees!
Olympic Results and Thank You
Although
issues began to accumulate over time, the one thing I had hoped from
before the Olympics began, was that spark of indomitable spirit.
"There
is in this world no such force as the force of a man determined to
rise. The human soul cannot be chained," W.E.B. DuBois once said.
Indomitable spirit is that part of a person which makes them unique,
that part of a person which provides hope, strength and courage to get
up and face each day with a smile. Indomitable spirit is perseverance
on a long term basis. And during that day, hundreds of youths pushed
their limits, strengthened their bonds, cheered their heart out.
We will need that indomitable spirit in the times ahead of us.
I promised my friend I would write about the economy. With forecasts of a recession impacting our country, and severe budget cuts within the government. I have started to hear reports of Vietnamese organizations around me losing funding, having their programming cut. Several events that have become the cornerstone in our community for years, have been cancelled. And sponsors from the financial industry which my VSAs once relied on have gone belly-up, forcing a considerable number within the Vietnamese community to undergo job retraining. For the first time ever, I awoke to the grave concern of where the community was heading. "Can you help us with funding?" a few have asked me. "Do you have any leads?" There were many questions as to what we needed to do in this community to set priorities, to maximize impact, and to strategize in procuring and sustaining resources. But who could answer these questions?
A friend called me up last night about the Vietnamese immigrants who stood to be deported beginning this Saturday, and why our community have not mobilized around this issue with as much concern as other things in the community. I could not answer that question adequately. But what I have started to do was to collect contacts and information pertaining to this issue, when it became clear that no one was doing so, and making it available for public benefit. A week ago, Huy and I arrived at a meeting with other advocacy organizations and Congressional aides to Mike Honda to ascertain what was already being done, what basically amounted to as warning the community. The efforts of Congressional representatives, spearheaded by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, to delay the deportation date did not become widespread public knowledge. The two of us began drafting up a petition and information resources to support this Congressional effort, but with only a few days before the deadline, we may need to consider a long-term fight on this issue. The issue is complex, and has implications for a substantial portion of the Vietnamese community. According to US Census, an estimated 18% of the Vietnamese community are non-citizens. If they commit an aggravated felony (the definition of which is questionable), they could stand to be deported back to Vietnam. How can this not be a cause for concern?
Among other issues, UVSA just recently published its report from the Youth Forum that discussed the Vietnamese Naming of the San Jose Retail District. The good news is that there has been a compromise, so Little Saigon advocates can put up signs provided that they are privately funded. Therefore the report is rather a moot point on this issue. However, what it underscores is a prevailing need for youths to connect with others.
There is a need for Vietnamese youths to connect with the older generation. There is a need for Vietnamese youths to connect with other communities, not just the Vietnamese. And perhaps what was important to them in this issue, was to see role models who served the Vietnamese community who would lead the way for our future. Perhaps this explains their conflict over supporting a recall for Madison Nguyen. She was supposed to be our role model.
January 2008 UVSA Youth Forum Report
But I wish for you to read the letter on the third page of the report by a 17-year-old student who attended our forum. She writes, "I find it extremely important for the youth community to help the Vietnamese community figure out their issues. I really believe that UVSA should take the initiative of this. I am not saying that UVSA is doing nothing. I know that UVSA is holding a Yogurt event in late January to help VOICE. I am stating that UVSA should take action about the issues of OUR community. We should be helping the community we live in FIRST, rather than overseas."
Perhaps she has some sensibility. During the Paracel & Spratly Island Forum at UC Berkley, I told Ailien, a member of the group VietWill who looking to protect Vietnam from Chinese military aggression concerning these islands, "We need you to be the torchbearer; there are so few of us working on so many issues." And with failing organizations and a falling economy, our ability to address these issues become harder.
On Sunday, however, I attended a workshop that discussed Vietnamese philosophy and the origins of our Vietnamese identity. Most people know our origin myth. Au Co, the fairy princess, gives birth to an egg sac from which 100 children hatched. Lac Long Quan, the dragon lord, discussed with Au Co one day that they were too different, and both agreed to take half of the children, Au Co to the mountains and Lac Long Quan to the sea. But there was a term that piqued my interest. We are familiar with the term "Hung Vuong", or the Hung kings that gave rise to the Hong Bang dynasty, but there is mention of the term "Lac Vuong", or the Lac kings, obviously a reference to Lac Long Quan's children. It was then I had a rather interesting interpretation of the myth: Au Co's 50 children going to the mountains could represented the 50 kings that operated at a "federal" level, and Lac Long Quan's 50 children going to the sea represented the kings that operated at the local level. One may think of this as 50 senators (Hung Vuong) and 50 governors (Lac Vuong). Although there is no proof that this was how our ancestors were politically organized, it's compelling to think that that is how our community is organized: collective leadership. It somewhat mirrors how UVSA is organized, with an Intercollegiate Council of representatives from each school operating at the regional level, and each VSA having its own President overseeing campus affairs.
Another interesting point (and unfortunately I am not doing justice by highlighting snippets from the presentation) is the agricultural origins of Vietnamese civilization. There are numerous maxims that mention our philosophical notion of being in harmony with our environment because of our agricultural roots. The concept of dùng-dưỡng is the equivalent sustainable development. Even though we are far removed from our days as being farmers, to resolve the issues within our community is no different than tending to the fields and caring for the crops. Except the fields in this case is the Vietnamese community, and the crops are leaders. What we need is a way to grow a crop of new leaders that can creatively and collectively tackle the challenges of our society in the new century.
With the upcoming April 30 Commemoration and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I wanted to see how we can move forward, what is necessary to reorganize our disparate efforts and to make every drop count, and every action with a purpose that pushes forward a greater plan.
Long live our indomitable spirit!