January 20, 2018
By Viet Thanh Nguyen, as published in The New York Times
A bathroom at 4:45 a.m. is quiet. I try to wake at this time, three hours before my 4-year-old son does, so I can write, even in a hotel bathroom. I have not checked email, Twitter or Instagram, and last year I got off Facebook.
January 13, 2018
By Dr. Tung Nguyen, as published in The Huffington Post
On the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I have been thinking about what it means to be an American. We are clearly a divided country, and it is important for us to work together to sustain what, in my opinion, has been the most important social undertaking ever conducted. Can a country that arose out of revolution against oppression not regress into it? Can people of different races and ethnicities co-exist without killing each other? Can human beings truly have an equal society? Can we celebrate what makes each of us unique and yet maintain respect for or even support each other’s humanity? These questions have not been resolved. Really, they can never be resolved because such a society will have to be constantly evolving. But are we still trying?
January 7, 2018
We are very pleased to report that the PIVOT Board has, on the recommendation of the Candidate Support Committee, unanimously voted to endorse Hoan Dang in his candidacy for an at-large position on the Montgomery County, MD Council. Hoan’s campaign Web site is at: http://votedang.com/. You are strongly encouraged to donate whatever you can at the ActionNetwork website.
January 2, 2018
This past year, Vietnamese progressives felt bruised, assaulted, and downright insulted by attacks on our most cherished values and policies. We were defeated in many ways. (See #taxscam #refugeeban #transgendermilitary #enddeportations). Yet, we also triumphed in others (See #metoo #YesBeeCan #KathyTran #norefugeebanever). Here are some tips to help you amp up your activism in 2018.
December 30, 2017
In Vietnamese culture, the end of the year is a good time to sweep out all of the bad from the
current year so the next year will be better. In American culture, it is the time to compile top 10
lists. As PIVOT is very much Vietnamese and American, we end this year first with a top 10 list
of bad things that happened this year and what PIVOT has done and will do to fight against
them.
December 22, 2017
Much has happened in the last 24 hours, with Congress passing a very short-term continuing resolution through January 19.
While we are glad to see that the continuing resolution at least included the minimal funds necessary to maintain certain critical health services, such as the Children's Health Insurance Program, we seek more long-term solutions for supporting community health centers.
December 16, 2017
Even though the PIVOT family of progressive activists formed only this year, and even though many of us have collaborated just by email and phone, we are deeply bonded by our dream to engage and empower Vietnamese Americans for a just and diverse America. It was so wonderful to (finally) meet members from all across the country at the Bay Area holiday party last night.
December 8, 2017
It is with great pleasure and appreciation that we present to you the results of this important survey conducted by our very own Young Vietnamese American Committee. Organized in May 2017, the Committee was not able to identify any significant assessment of what young VAs thought and how they acted with respect to civic and political engagement. And thus, in the spirit of PIVOT, they decided to do something about that. From July to now, they designed a survey, collected 544 responses, analyzed the results, and wrote it up.
December 5, 2017
Tonight we are in happy tears as we celebrate the historic win by our PIVOT endorsed candidate, Bee Nguyen. Bee is the first Vietnamese American elected to the Georgia state legislature!
November 28, 2017
As Americans return from their Thanksgiving break, Republicans in Congress will also return to their attempt to pass a tax bill before the Christmas recess. In the next two weeks, the Senate will vote on its version, after the House passed its version on November 16th.
