PIVOT Fellow Spotlight - Frederick Tran

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PIVOT Fellow Spotlight - Frederick Tran

Frederick Tran is the PIVOT fellow for the great state of Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2017 with a degree in Critical Languages and International Studies, focusing in Russian. After graduation, he worked in programming and development for an international nonprofit that specializes in empowering orphans. He recently came off an internship with the Dallas County Republican Party, where he fundraised for a conservative candidate. Frederick joined the PIVOT fellowship program because he strongly believes in PIVOT's values to engage Vietnamese Americans to fight for an equal and just nation for all Americans, especially those who come from disenfranchised groups whose voices are often silent or unheard. He hopes to continue working in development for either nonprofits or political campaigns after the fellowship is over.

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PIVOT Fellow Spotlight - Angelina Tran

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PIVOT Fellow Spotlight - Angelina Tran

Angelina (Thuy Hang) Tran is passionate about convening politics, law, and education to further human rights and sustainability. As a first generation Vietnamese American, Angelina joined PIVOT to amplify the concerns and hopes of her diverse community members through political engagement. Angelina is excited to learn various ways to empower, equip, and engage the civic capacity of Vietnamese-Americans, particularly in her home state of Georgia.

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Observations From PIVOT President, Tung Nguyen

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Observations From PIVOT President, Tung Nguyen

August 27, 2020

I finally took my Dad to church with proper precautions. It became clear that his faith was more important than dying from Covid.

While I was there, a woman helping at the Vietnamese church asked if I wanted to sign a petition to remove Governor Newsom. I said no and seethed that they allowed political work at a church—it is forbidden due to its non-profit status.

And then I thought, yeah, some of my Vietnamese people are a bunch of hypocrites and law breakers, always have been.

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Appointment of Tony Pham, a Vietnamese American Former Refugee, to Lead ICE

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Appointment of Tony Pham, a Vietnamese American Former Refugee, to Lead ICE

August 26, 2020

From board member Phi Nguyen, who has been fighting and litigating against ICE on behalf of Vietnamese Americans since 2017, on the appointment of Tony Pham to lead ICE:

Vietnamese refugees understand the trauma of displacement. The violence of ripping families apart. The cruelty of incarceration. The desperation that drives people to flee their homes.

They also know--or ought to know if they are honest students of American history and their own migration history--that whether this country recognizes your right to be here, whether your presence is considered to be "lawful," is a matter of political chance.

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PIVOT Endorses Thai Viet Phan In Her Election as Santa Ana City Councilperson

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PIVOT Endorses Thai Viet Phan In Her Election as Santa Ana City Councilperson

August 26, 2020

Thai Viet Phan is a candidate for Santa Ana City Council – Ward 1 in the upcoming November 3rd general election. Like many first-generation refugees, Thai was the first in her family to graduate high school and go to college. She currently works as a local government attorney providing legal advice and counsel to cities throughout Southern California. She also serves as a Santa Ana Planning Commissioner and sits on the Board of Directors of the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Southern California.

This is the first time Santa Ana will have districted elections, and Ward 1 was specifically drawn to give Asian Americans, particularly the Vietnamese community, a voice on the dais. Though Santa Ana is ¼ of the Little Saigon community and has tens of thousands of Vietnamese American residents, if Thai wins this election, she would be the first and only Vietnamese American to serve on the Santa Ana City Council. Santa Ana has long neglected its Vietnamese American residents by failing to have in-language outreach for important issues such as CARES Act small business grants, the Census, and the City’s eviction moratorium. Thai’s platform focuses on housing affordability, public safety reforms with an emphasis on improving responsible community policing, and helping small businesses survive and thrive in the city. Thai has the experience and commitment to bring a progressive Vietnamese voice to the Santa Ana City Council.

Please consider signing up to phone or text bank (English, Vietnamese) at www.thaivietphan.com. If you are able, please make a contribution. Any amount will really go a long way in this grassroots campaign!

You can reach out to Thai directly at info@thaivietphan.com or (714) 478-5949.

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PIVOT Re-Endorses Tram Nguyen In Her Re-Election as State Representative of Massachusetts

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PIVOT Re-Endorses Tram Nguyen In Her Re-Election as State Representative of Massachusetts

August 21, 2020

PIVOT is proud to announce the re-endorsement of Tram Nguyen for her re-election as State Representative of Massachusetts. She is an accomplished legal aid attorney, and has been a fierce advocate for vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, seniors, and immigrants. In 2018, Tram won her election against an anti-immigrant challenger to become the first Vietnamese American woman to ever hold elected office in the history of the Commonwealth, and is currently 1 of 6 women of color in the MA legislature. Her legislative priorities include a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; workers’ rights; environmental protection; and women’s rights and health. As a leader in the AAPI Community, Tram has served as a respected and effective leader and demonstrated on a daily basis the quality of our contribution to the American way of life.

PIVOT is grateful for Tram’s service and for her decision to run for re-election. Please support her by donating here.

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COVID Blog August 14, 2020

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COVID Blog August 14, 2020

August 14, 2020
Tung Nguyen, MD
Professor of Medicine, University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
President, PIVOT-The Progressive Vietnamese American Association

As of August 13, 2020, there are nearly 21 million people who had COVID-19 and nearly 750,000 deaths worldwide. In the US, there are nearly 5.3 million infections and more than 167,000 deaths. In the first 14 weeks of the pandemic, when we thought things were going badly, there were 2 million infections. In the last 8 weeks, we have an additional 3.3 million infections. California, Florida, and Texas all passed the 500,000 cases threshold already.

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PIVOT Statement on the Nomination of Kamala Harris for Vice President of the United States

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PIVOT Statement on the Nomination of Kamala Harris for Vice President of the United States

August 13, 2020

For many of us in PIVOT who are immigrants or children of immigrants, the news that Senator Kamala Harris, the daughter of an Indian immigrant and a Jamaican immigrant, has been chosen as the Democratic Party’s nominee for Vice President of the United States, is nothing short of astonishing and inspiring.

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U.S. CONGRESSIONAL RECORDS: JOE BIDEN WELCOMED VIETNAMESE REFUGEES TO THE UNITED STATES

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U.S. CONGRESSIONAL RECORDS: JOE BIDEN WELCOMED VIETNAMESE REFUGEES TO THE UNITED STATES

Vietnamese version: 06-26-2020
English version: 07-19-2020
Khai Q Nguyen, PIVOT Member

The 2020 election season is boiling up. There are less than four months left before the U.S. presidential election on November 3. Joe Biden will be the official Democratic presidential candidate. Therefore, in recent days, President Trump's supporters have fabricated and spread the news that Mr. Biden was against Vietnamese refugees in the mid-1970s in order to get Vietnamese-American votes for Mr. Trump. Since Mr. Biden had been a very young senator at the age of 30, just barely old enough to hold the office, a review of Congressional records will probably tell you what the truth is. This will also be a good opportunity to review laws on the evacuation and relief of Vietnamese refugees and related news in the 1970s.

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PIVOT Fellow Program

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PIVOT Fellow Program

July 20, 2020

PIVOT-The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization is excited to announce its PIVOT Fellow program. We are seeking to identify and select PIVOT Fellows to work on the 2020 elections in the following states: Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Texas. There may be opportunities for other states depending on funding. Fellows will work on a part-time basis with a local non-profit on voter engagement, primarily with Vietnamese and other Asian American populations.

Fellowship will run three month from August - November.

Responsibilities may include but not limited to:
-Outreach at community events
-Mailers and other print outreach activities
-Digital outreach including texting and mobile apps
-Coordinating volunteers for door knocking (if possible)
-Provide cultural and other expertise to other organizations

Requirements:
-Experience with campaigns and knowledge of Vietnamese-American community preferred but not required
-Strong interpersonal skills
-Positive attitude and ability to motivate others
-Valid Driver’s License and/or access to reliable transportation

Compensation
-$5,000 for three months

The application can be accessed here.

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