JHU Vietnamese Student Association

Pho Night is back on! We are once again excited to present Tway in our collaboration event between JHU X IAC. This event has been moved to Friday, April 30th, so we hope that everyone can make it! Please register with the link provided on the event page.

As we celebrate International Women's Day and Women's History Month, swing by our General Body Meeting on March 13 to learn more about important Vietnamese women and their contributions, while meeting other VSA members and competing to win prizes! Zoom link in our IG bio.

Join us at Student Involvement Fair!

Happy Pride Month from JHU VSA 🌈✨As we reflect on the experiences and history of the LGBTQ+ community here in the U.S., as well as in Việt Nam and elsewhere, we hope this guide is helpful for starting conversations with Việt-speaking loved ones. ⁣
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Source for translations: ICS Center

Yesterday, our executive board joined the Inter-Asian Council at Johns Hopkins University - IAC to release a joint statement in response to recent instances of police brutality, as well as amplifying our condemnation of the injustice that Black people in this country face on a daily basis.

While mourning the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Dreasjon Reed, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, David McAtee, and countless other Black victims to police brutality and long-standing injustice, we call upon members of the Johns Hopkins Vietnamese Student Association (JHU VSA), as well as other Vietnamese students, Vietnamese diaspora students, and all other students to take action through the links below. We also include links to educational resources tailored for Vietnamese folks, including in-language material.

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Johns Hopkins University Black Student Union spreadsheet of petitions, donation links, education resources, and other resources: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1B_RVbIuVX_1uYNnf4QDaxqpgBeaEX6vUxL7M5EOCJJc/edit?fbclid=IwAR2g8UCe2IxWkVa2cbD6b9lC-tkLZa1d4q0Xxa-asnyWaMONBCkpCcMhoWk =1300672022

Another document of petitions, donation links, education resources, and other resources:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g66xHO4bEdhERZ6LQFn0t3fXv8jhY45zlSmlEVQobC8/edit?fbclid=IwAR2TG_mem70diOEThIp2R6jcO0irRWS4gSg-cWQY4AuM03zcuAkfWaySAAI

Directories of Black businesses:
https://officialblackwallstreet.com/directory/
https://www.supportblackowned.com/find-a-biz

20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community: https://medium.com/awaken-blog/20-allyship-actions-for-asians-to-show-up-for-the-black-community-right-now-464e5689cf3e?fbclid=IwAR1J6TYPRYB2fEobcD0ydmT148DEq7wqD3tw61CefjVIM0eFxBLdJuYt4Ow

Letters for Black Lives, a resource for Asian Americans to speak to their parents about police brutality:
(ENG) https://lettersforblacklives.com/dear-mom-dad-uncle-auntie-black-lives-matter-to-us-too-7ca577d59f4c

(VIET) https://lettersforblacklives.com/k%C3%ADnh-th%C6%B0a-ba-m%E1%BA%B9-c%C3%B4-ch%C3%BA-b%C3%A1c-c%E1%BA%ADu-d%C3%AC-d%C6%B0%E1%BB%A3ng-sinh-m%E1%BA%A1ng-c%E1%BB%A7a-ng%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Di-da-%C4%91en-c%C5%A9ng-%C4%91%C3%A1ng-tr%C3%A2n-tr%E1%BB%8Dng-%C4%91%E1%BB%91i-4a3f1e2c7535?source=---------0-----------------------

Explanation of in Vietnamese:
https://www.facebook.com/gintonic2912/posts/2931126440268865

Why Are We Protesting? Vietnamese Explanation: https://www.facebook.com/100001146128649/posts/2934077586640417/?d=n

Addressing Anti-Blackness within the Vietnamese Community:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yg5o18j2PUjSgieoinZvJgttF87abp2ol8q-5NboCq8/edit?fbclid=IwAR1wJMNHhe7yDvdovQdHTAtUq-80_fAD07XkT47vPDaksuYOuhfmlPpIRes

Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA) statement:
https://www.facebook.com/UNAVSA/posts/10163949359660232

Official Statement of Solidarity from JHU APIDA Student Organizations June 1st, 2020 An Official Statement from Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Student Organizations at Johns Hopkins University in Solidarity with the Black Community and Condemning Anti-Blackness We are the Inter-Asian Council, the umbrella organization for Asian Pacific Islander Des...

From the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (UNAVSA):

"Just as Black and African Americans once advocated for an end to senseless American violence in Southeast Asia and paved the way for a unified Asian American community, we, as Vietnamese and Asian people must act in solidarity. We hold a responsibility to demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery, justice for Dreasjon Reed, justice for Breonna Taylor, justice for George Floyd, justice for Tony McDade, and all people whose deaths are allowed to pass unchecked by the American public and government."

Minnesota Freedom Fund: minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate
George Floyd Memorial Fund: gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
Justice for Big Floyd Petition and Phone Banking: justiceforbigfloyd.com
I Run With Maud (for Ahmaud Arbery's family): gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud
Run with Maud Petition and Phone Banking: runwithmaud.com
Justice for Breonna Taylor Petition and Fundraiser: change.org/p/andy-beshear-justice-for-breonna-taylor
Stand with Bre Petition and Phone Banking: standwithbre.com
National Bail Out Fund - Free Black Mamas: secure.actblue.com/donate/freeblackmamas2020

With heavy hearts, UNAVSA mourns the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Dreasjon Reed, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and the many other Black people taken from us by police brutality and institutional violence. Our organization unilaterally condemns anti-Black racism and violence, as well as the agencies and individuals who continue to uphold racial inequity and inflict violence upon our society. The U.S. continues to kill and oppress people without consequence and we, as a community, cannot stand by without taking action towards racial justice.

Just as Black and African Americans once advocated for an end to senseless American violence in Southeast Asia and paved the way for a unified Asian American community, we, as Vietnamese and Asian people must act in solidarity. We hold a responsibility to demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery, justice for Dreasjon Reed, justice for Breonna Taylor, justice for George Floyd, justice for Tony McDade, and all people whose deaths are allowed to pass unchecked by the American public and government.

The U.S. was founded and continues to thrive based on the exploitation of Black and Brown people, but Asian, Southeast Asian, and Vietnamese communities cannot continue to embrace the model minority myth at the expense of other groups’ oppression. As an organization built for and by immigrants and children of immigrants, many of whom are survivors of war, UNAVSA refuses to remain silent and ignore the devastating impacts of institutional injustice. Fighting anti-Asian racism, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, must always include combating anti-Blackness within our own communities—friends, families, and strangers alike.

UNAVSA calls upon its constituents to take immediate and direct action by visiting the links below to sign petitions, donate to support funds, and contact our government to demand justice.

Minnesota Freedom Fund: minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate
George Floyd Memorial Fund: gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
Justice for Big Floyd Petition and Phone Banking: justiceforbigfloyd.com
I Run With Maud (for Ahmaud Arbery's family): gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud
Run with Maud Petition and Phone Banking: runwithmaud.com
Justice for Breonna Taylor Petition and Fundraiser: justiceforbreonna.org
Stand with Bre Petition and Phone Banking: standwithbre.com
National Bail Out Fund - Free Black Mamas: secure.actblue.com/donate/freeblackmamas2020





Photo Credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Yesterday, May 15th was Áo Dài Day, officially recognized in California to celebrate the traditional Vietnamese gown! Áo dài (pronounced ow-zai in Northern Vietnamese and ow-yai in Southern Vietnamese, literally translating to "long shirt") has special significance Vietnamese and Vietnamese American modern life—appearing as school/work uniforms, stealing the show at weddings, and taking center stage at pageants in both Vietnam and Vietnamese America. Go through the images in this post to learn more about its history! 🌟💫