fwd: To^' ca'o Oakland Art Museum
tu...@nz11.com
ddang
muo^'n tuye^n truye^`n cho ho.. Cho^~ na`y cu~ng la` cho^~ ho.p ba'o
ky`
tru+o+'c va` bie^?u ti`nh vu. ddem trie^~n la~m hi`nh HochiMinh.
Ai co' lie^n la.c vo+'i co^.ng ddo^`ng ngu+o+`i Viet hoa(.c ba'o chi'
vu`ng Oakland, xin pho^? bie^'n va` u?ng ho^. co^ Mimi Nguyen na`y.
Nghie^n cu+'u
va(n ho'a kie^?u na`y cu~ng gio^'ng nhu+ bo.n o+? Boston (John
Williams)
Xin la`m o+n pho^? bie^'n ro^.ng ra~i
tuna
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Vietnamese Slighted in Vietnam War Exhibit
CaliToday, News Report,
Compiled by Pueng Vongs, Nov 04, 2003
A Smithsonian exhibit of the World War II bomber the Enola Gay is
being criticized for its failure to mention the destruction the plane
caused when it dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. Vietnamese Americans in
California say an Oakland exhibit on the Vietnam War commits a similar
crime.
California's many Vietnamese refugees are incensed, claiming that the
exhibit at the Oakland Art Museum scheduled for 2004 does not give
them adequate representation. They are also protesting the firing of a
Vietnamese American employee at the museum who spoke out against the
exhibit.
The museum received a National Endowment grant for a retrospective
exhibit on the Vietnam War and its impact on California. The grant
stipulates that the Next Stop Vietnam exhibit should engage in a
dialogue with the community, but very little of that has happened,
according to Mimi Nguyen, who says she was fired after repeated
efforts to call the museum's attention to the cursory representation
of Vietnamese voices and experience. Instead, she says, the exhibit
focuses on the experience of "the U.S. veteran community and aging
hippies and is not representative of the immense diversity of
California."
In a letter to the museum's administration which was leaked to
Vietnamese language press, Nguyen wrote, "Fifty-eight thousand
American GIs died in the war. Some four million Vietnamese perished,
and an entire nation collapsed. Shouldn't Vietnamese Californians have
equal stake and voice in this exhibit?"
She wrote that initial agreements to interview Vietnamese living in
California on their reaction to U.S. troops arriving in Vietnam were
retracted and eliminated from the exhibit.
"Thanh was eight when American troops tossed a grenade into his
family's bomb shelter. The grenade ruptured his vocal cords and
disfigured his face. Duong was eleven when strayed bullets ruptured
his spinal cord, leaving him paraplegic; he overcame many ob! stacles
to become an Assistant Professor of Education at UCLA today," she
wrote.
She says Vietnamese are portrayed as refugees at the end of the war
without struggle, heritage, history and past.
She wonders if the stories were neglected because the public cannot
handle the realities of the Vietnam War. "Or are we uncomfortable with
the truth because Vietnam reminds Americans of our discomforting role
in transforming the Persian Gulf? Wouldn't this reality shake people
out of their comfort zone to deal with 'collateral damage' in Iraq and
Afghanistan?"
The exhibit will showcase the widely known My Lai massacre where
American forces attacked a Vietnamese village, but she says other
atrocities like the Hue Massacre deserve to be shown. The memories
still haunt survivors living in California. During the Hue massacre,
some 4,000 students, professors, doctors, government officials and
their families were buried alive by the Vietnamese Communist soldiers
in mass graves.
Some 21 U.S. veterans were interviewed for the exhibit compared to
only one or two South Vietnamese soldiers, she wrote. "Over one
million South Vietnamese men were under arms, and many are now
Californians whose stories deserve our attention and a better history
than the United States allows."
She says Vietnamese play a valuable part of the California landscape
and deserve an exhibit that speaks to them. "Refugees include sons,
daughters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren of former South
Vietnamese officials, who are transforming California and the nation
as well. Vietnamese engineers and assembly line laborers helped build
Silicon Valley, the engine of California's economy that was generating
wealth and income, making California the richest state in the
country."
The largest overseas Vietnamese population resides in California,
numbering some half a million, and yet their views are not well
represented, Nguyen says. The Vietnamese community, from Oakland to
San Jose to Orange County, plan to circulate petitions and protest the
museum's actions. Last week the deputy mayor of Garden Grove held a
townhall meeting on the issue. Other Southeast Asian groups as well as
a cross-cultural mix of immigrant and advocacy groups plan to join the
Vietnamese in their protests. They include the American Civil
Liberties Union, the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People and PUEBLO, a local activist organization.
TrietGiaSJeduNET
Hi d/c TunaShuShi :) Here is Mimi Nguyen's voice:
(FWD)
=================
-----Original Message-----
From: mi...@alum.berkeley.edu [mailto:mi...@alum.berkeley.edu]
Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 10:03 AM
Subject: Fwd: Exhibition: CONCERNS - VIETNAMESE VOICES Aug 21st, 2004 -Feb
23rd, 2005
The Oakland Museum fired me after I addressed my
concerns for Vietnamese voices. An insider just
informed that they are pulling out the Cong Hoa quan
phuc altogether. My artifact list doesn't matter
anymore because the minority voice is not part of the
plan to determine the spirit and outcome of the
project.
Having support from Vietnamese communities inside and
outside of California is very compelling to get our
voice heard. I no longer have thefull schedule, but I
remember that the exhibit will travel to Seattle, the
Chicago Historical Society, and Dearborn, Michigan
over the next three or four years. Would you have
contact with the Vietnamese communities there?
Vietnamese Americans should know what to expect from
this exhibit.
I can t really be a mouthpiece for Vietnamese American
activism because it would appear that I am retaliating
for getting fired. However, I can give concerned
Vietnamese more information and if the community
responds, the Oakland Museum can t accuse the public
of defamation.
Someone suggested that Vietnamese Americans clog the
phone lines, ask about my dismissal and other tough
questions to let the museum know the community is
watching. I'm not sure where you are; some individuals
are trying to strategize a plan to mobilize the
Vietnamese community in Oakland, San Jose, Orange
County and Texas to petition resistance, protest and
even boycott this skewed exhibit.
By failing to engage multiple experiences, ethnic
minorities, "inclusiveness and deep involvement of
community organizations," the museum is violating its
federal grant from the City of Oakland, and funding
from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Oakland Museum
Women's Board, and the National Endowment for
Humanities. People might want to let these
philanthropists know what is going on, and perhaps CC
the Oakland management who will have to be held
accountable to community service. Asian American
leaders, public officials, the Museum's Board of
Directors, and Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown should also
be informed.
If Vietnamese Americans are going to take action, we
need to focus on having a REFUGEE VOICE and fair
representation--not on anti-communism because the
museum management, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and San
Francisco Mayor Willie Brown will dismiss us.
The federal grant, NEH, is the major sponsor (1.8
million) Please see the enclosed NEH award letter.
Nancy E. Rogers
National Endowment for the Humanities
Division of Public Programs
1100 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20506
Rockefeller Foundation
420 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10018
212.869.8500
Oakland Museum Management
Dennis Power, Executive Director
Tel. 510-238-3404
Mark Medeiros, Deputy Director (he is also the CFO,
and is reputed as the key decision maker)
Tel. 510-238-7208
Their address is:
Oakland Museum of California
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA 94607
510-238-3842
Next Stop Vietnam: California and the Nation
Transformed is very important because:
(1) It will travel nationwide (possibly
internationally later)
(2) The museum is developing a college curriculum
around this skewed exhibit, which discriminates and
disregards refugee voices, and perpetuates misjudgment
and misunderstanding of Vietnamese Americans.
3) There is discrimination and inconsistency in the
level of relevancy of what constitutes California
history. Political messaging of antiwar activism and
US vet patriotism is acceptable. But true stories of
survivors, and provocative accounts of refugee
identity and struggle somehow don't qualify as
Californian stories.
(4) The exhibit is not only damaging to me, but it
hurts the community. It is also becoming an issue of
Civil Rights, minority rights. The museum is
culturally insensitive, and not a safe place for
minorities to raise dissenting voices. The ironic
thing is, Oakland is an immigrant enclave.
The Cambodian community has already jumped in to
organize Asian American and minority activists re: my
dismissal issue. Vietnamese are talking about
mobilizing regional and international action, but it
is still materializing.
http://museumca.org/exhibit/upcoming.html
Next Stop Vietnam: California and the Nation
Transformed
August 28, 2004 - February 27, 2005
The first national touring exhibition to explore the
impact of the Vietnam conflict on American life and
culture looks at California during the war as both a
microcosm and a magnification of the national
experience. Includes more than 500 historical
artifacts, photographs and documents interwoven with
oral histories, film clips and music exploring the
period from the Cold War of the 1950s to the present,
with emphasis on the period from President Johnson's
escalation of the Vietnam War in 1965 through the
war's end in 1975. The exhibition will focus on the
issues of war, protest and immigration in the context
of their time. Catalog. Organized by the Oakland
Museum of California. The exhibition will travel
nationally.
--- rvnaf <rvna...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Greetings all:
>
> Despite our setback, we should move forward with
> collecting artifacts. The more items we gather, the
> better chance of having a Vietnamese voice. Please
> review the artifact list. I welcome your input and
> suggestions.
>
> My earlier attachment got returned, so I'm resending
> the artifact list via text.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Mimi Nguyen
>
> (Research Coordinator History Department
>
> Oakland Museum of California
>
> 1000 Oak Street Oakland, CA 94607
>
> (510) 238-3842)
>
> ARTIFACTS NEEDED
>
> BEGINNING OF WAR (in California)
>
> Army Republic of Viet Nam Training in California
>
> 7South Vietnamese uniforms (male and female),
> combat,boots,Soldiers dog tags / IDs with engraving
> of names,unit divisions and blood types, medical
> charts of wounded soldiers
>
> 7ARVN rucksacks/bags, plastic ponchos with hood,
> mosquito nets, canteen, P-38 key/opener, zippo
> lighters 7
>
> Officers maps marked with strategies, goals and
> instructions for battle 7
>
> Military passports, photos, documentation and
>
> certificates of training at the Military Camp
> Recruit
>
> Depot in San Diego, Coronado, Naval Post Graduate
>
> Monterey Institute, Fort Ord and any other bases in
> California
>
> Vietnamese in California Before 1975
>
> 7Photos and records of Vietnamese diplomats in
>
> California during the war
>
> 7Photos, banners, clothing and items related to
> Vietnamese students / anti-war activists in
> California
>
> The Wounded and Dead
>
> 7Photos, clothing, leg braces, prosthesis
> (artificial limbs) of maimed victims
>
> 7Photos of maimed ARVN veterans
>
> 7Photos of dead friends, children and family members
>
> 7Photos of dead family members who fought on both
> sides, North and South: one in PAVN uniform, the
> other in ARVN uniform
>
> REFUGEE JOURNEY
>
> First Wave 1975
>
> 7Passenger list from C-130 cargo planes
>
> 7Articles evacuated from Vietnam: clothing,
> bags,hats, scarves, shoes, photos, letters, national
> IDs,permits, Republican piastres, jewelry, toys and
> anything else brought on the journey
>
> 7Any materials from refugee camps: ID pass,
> military field jackets, contracts for food, linen,
> bedding, notebooks, journals, camp publications,
> photos 7Songs, music sheets, poems, art work related
> to refugee experience
>
> Second Wave -Boat People
>
> 7A real boat, a model or a fragment of a real boat
> 7Oars, rope, life jackets, passenger list,
> map,compass, SOS flag
>
> 7Articles issued in unified Vietnam: photos,
> permits,national IDs, ly lich showing name, age,
> creed, background 7Tuoi nho(large as a hand) sewned
> inside clothing for
>
> hiding valuables: money, gold, jade, diamonds,
>
> addresses/contact information of friends and loved
> ones 7Ruot tuong (shaped like elephant intestine)-
> pillow/bag for storing dried rice,
> provisions,valuables and carried around shoulder
>
> 7Shoes, bags, scarves, clothing, blankets and any
> items brought on the boat journey
>
> 7Any articles related to life in refugee camps:
> ration tickets, camp IDs, photos, poems, paintings,
> drawings, journals
>
> Third Wave Amerasians
>
> 7Newsletters, visas, poems, journals
>
> 7Any materials brought from Vietnam: national
> IDs,clothing, mementos and items related to the
> Amerasian experience
>
> 7Photos, and correspondence documenting searches for
> American fathers
>
> Third Wave - Political Prisoners (During war and
> HO journey after war)
>
> 7National IDs / driver s licenses, ly lich,
> prisoners IDs, prisoner's uniforms, confession
> text, log books 7
>
> Original or reproduction of maps, drawings and
>
> diagrams of prisoner camps 7Labor and mine clearing
> tools, utensils, grooming items
>
> 7Photos, letters, released papers, journals,
> memoirs, death certificates 7Any articles built by
> interns, such as jewelry, a stool or chair
>
> 7Humanitarian Operation (HO) paperwork, visas,
>
> records, photos
>
> 7Any materials and information related to Labor Camp
> PK 34, reserved mostly for men, women and children
> who tried to illegal escape by boat
>
> RESETTLEMENT IN CALIFORNIA
>
> New Beginning
>
> 7ICM bags (to hold Xrays), passports, INS cards
>
> 7ESL tapes, books, lessons, class notes
>
> 7Employment services manual and welfare stamps
>
> 7Literature and records of acquiring US citizenship
>
> 7Materials relating to sponsorship: USCC, HIAS,
> Lutheran and Baptist charities.
>
> .Sports and Culture
>
> 7Ancestral altar, urn, incense, candles, and
> relevant articles used for the cult of ancestral
> worship
>
> 7Textiles, costumes and head dresses from North,
> Central and South Vietnam.
>
> 7Long - colorful textile canopy used for ceremonies
> and celebrations
>
> 7Vietnamese funeral garbs, head bands and photos of
> funeral procession
>
> 7Various Vietnamese American journal publications 7
>
> .Photos of Vietnamese dragon / lion dance troops
>
> 7Photos of Vietnamese American athletes: martial
> arts, kickboxing, ping-pong, soccer
>
> Vietnamese Role in Economy
>
> 7Photos of Orange County farmland before 1975
>
> 7Original work plans, sketches, blueprints and
> photos of Vietnamese shopping malls in Orange County
> and San Jose today
>
> 7Highway signage and stone marker of "Welcome to
> Little Saigon
>
> 7Photos, certificates and relevant items related to
> community s
=== message truncated ===
==========================================
>Subject: fwd: To^' ca'o Oakland Art Museum
>From: tu...@nz11.com
>Date: 11/6/2003 12:10 PM Pacific Standard Time
>Message-id: <61a3d84b.0311...@posting.google.com>
tu...@nz11.com
Let Jerry Brown know how you feel:
Phone: (510) 238-3141
Email: j...@oaklandnet.com
tuna
------------------------------------------------------
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