PIVOT's Endorsement of Jeanette Quick for San Francisco Community College Board

PIVOT's Endorsement of Jeanette Quick for San Francisco Community College Board

October 2, 2020

PIVOT is proud to endorse Jeanette Quick for San Francisco Community College Board. The Community College Board of Trustees oversees the Chancellor and budget of City College, which is one of the largest community colleges in the country. Unfortunately, due to years of mismanagement, rapid turnover of Chancellors, and a lack of strategic planning and accountability of the administrators and Board, the College is in danger of losing its accreditation and running out of money to operate. This College currently serves approximately 60K students, including a number of Vietnamese and other Asian American students. Because of its issues, the College has recently cut hundreds of classes, which has led to dropping enrollment and a death spiral.

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PIVOT Endorsement of Chrysta Castañeda for Texas Railroad Commission

PIVOT Endorsement of Chrysta Castañeda for Texas Railroad Commission

October 1, 2020

PIVOT is honored to endorse Chrysta Castañeda, who is running for the Texas Railroad Commission. This is the agency that regulates the expansive oil and gas industry in Texas, making this the most important environmental race in the country. With over 30 years of experience working in and around the oil and gas industry as an engineer and attorney, Chrysta knows the complex technical and legal issues that face the industry, and can effectively enforce laws and policies.

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PIVOT Endorsement of Nikema Williams for Congress

PIVOT Endorsement of Nikema Williams for Congress

September 28, 2020

PIVOT is proud to announce our endorsement of State Senator Nikema Williams for Congress. Senator Williams has been a fearless advocate for women and families, voting rights, fair representation, and public education throughout her career. As the first Black woman Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, she leads the fight statewide to expand access to opportunities for Georgians. Senator Williams has a proven record of fighting to uplift the voices of her community regardless of where they were born, their skin color, where they live, or who they love. Her governing principle is centered around those most marginalized. In Congress, she will continue to be a staunch advocate for voting rights and social justice. If elected, State Senator Nikema Williams will be filling the seat left vacant by civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis, to represent Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District.

Please support by donating to her campaign here and take advantage of PIVOT’s matching donation program.

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New Release: PROGRESSIVE VIETNAMESE AMERICANS UNITE TO FIGHT FOR JUST AMERICA

New Release:  PROGRESSIVE VIETNAMESE AMERICANS UNITE TO FIGHT FOR JUST AMERICA

Sunday, September 27, 2020 - Nearly two hundred Vietnamese Americans and allies came together for a blockbuster virtual event to mobilize for the upcoming election, with so much at stake. In 2017, right after the gut-wrenching news of the 2016 election, hundreds of progressive Vietnamese Americans from around the nation formed PIVOT, the first national progressive Vietnamese American organization, committed to fighting for a just and diverse America. As refugees and children of refugees, PIVOT members were committed to ensuring that come election-time, their community would not be left on the sidelines or misled with divisive misinformation. With only one month away from the election, PIVOT has launched a rally cry for all-hands-on-deck to mobilize Vietnamese Americans and Asian Americans to register to vote, get out to vote, and vote for Biden and Democrats, and ultimately, for a more just America.

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Press Release: PROGRESSIVE VIETNAMESE AMERICANS LAUNCH ELECTION TOOLKIT TO ENSURE REPRESENTATION IN 2020 ELECTIONS

Press Release: PROGRESSIVE VIETNAMESE AMERICANS LAUNCH ELECTION TOOLKIT TO ENSURE REPRESENTATION IN 2020 ELECTIONS

Tuesday, September 22, 2020 -- More than 2.1 million Vietnamese Americans currently call the United States home. Once loyal to the Republican Party, Vietnamese American voters are trending away from Republicans due to the party’s dismal and out-of-touch policies on issues of importance to this former refugee community, such as human rights, education, healthcare, and immigration. That shift may be critical in the upcoming November election given that Asian Americans are projected to be one of the fastest growing racial groups in the American electorate.

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Honoring RBG

Honoring RBG

September 18, 2020

On September 18, 2020, PIVOT deeply mourns the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG), who passed at the age of 87 after a long and courageous fight against cancer. While we see the political firestorm that ensued just minutes after her passing, we take a moment of silence to honor this iconic figure for paving the path for so many women and for upholding justice for the most vulnerable. We thank her for holding the weight of the nation on her shoulders for so long, and we vow to honor her legacy by committing to follow the same moral compass of putting humanity before politics.

Justice RBG, please rest with the other great giants, like John Lewis. You have done so much, and we will continue in your name.

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This year’s Lễ Vu Lan was like no other

This year’s Lễ Vu Lan was like no other

September 15, 2020
Vien Nguyen, PIVOT member

This year’s Lễ Vu Lan was like no other. This most beloved Buddhist celebration of the year is a time of remembrance of parents and ancestors. My mother and I drove to her chùa to visit the nuns and receive gifts of food. We greeted the nuns from the other side of the screen door and bowed with clasped hands, smiling and exchanging Mô Phật, the universal Buddhist greeting. There was no incense filled room crowded with children and young people pinning red, pink and white roses on the lapels and áo dài of their elders. But this year, like all other years since my grandmother passed away sixteen years ago, my mom and I reminisced about her mother.

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DONALD TRUMP IS HONEST BUT HIS SUPPORTERS REFUSE TO LISTEN

DONALD TRUMP IS HONEST BUT HIS SUPPORTERS REFUSE TO LISTEN

September 7, 2020
Thang Do, PIVOT board member

As a man of paradox, Donald Trump’s lying nature is legendary. The Washington Post Fact Checker has documented his 20,055 lies in 1,267 days in office. He can lie without qualms, from inconsequential matters such as the crowd size at his inauguration ceremony, to intentionally defaming others such as his conspiracy theory of Obama being foreign-born. He can turn black into white, then deny, like when he said he never dismissed the danger of Covid-19 (for many weeks, Trump said it was a hoax and not something to worry about).

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PIVOT Fellow Spotlight - Vinh Dang

PIVOT Fellow Spotlight - Vinh Dang

Hi my name is Vinh (he/him/his) and I am a first generation Vietnamese American from EHT, NJ currently living in Pittsburgh, PA. I am an avid runner, hiker, movie enthusiast, and I love puns. I also serve as the Director of Communications for the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU).

My dream is to run a wasabi farm in the future but am currently doing my best to help uplift the Voices of Vietnamese-American communities. My hope as a PIVOT fellow is to help empower those in the Vietnamese and Asian and Pacific Islander American communities to engage with local politics and uplift the needs of these communities at the local and state level. I am super excited and thankful to be a part of this program with PIVOT!

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PIVOT Intern Spotlight - Caroline Cao

PIVOT Intern Spotlight - Caroline Cao

Hi, I'm Caroline Cao. I'm a Houstonian who's now based in League City, Texas. Joining PIVOT was a great way for me to channel my rage and sadness into action after I graduated from The New School in New York City. Before and now, you might see me get involved in the Disinformation and Election matters at PIVOT. Right now, I'm doing Census phone banking for OCA-Greater Houston. I also loosely disseminate information across Facebook groups. I look forward to evolving my social action pursuits with this PIVOT Internship.

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