October 30, 2020
My family immigrated to Holland, Michigan, from war-torn Vietnam in 1991. Our story relied heavily on the generosity of the American people and her government. Our plane tickets from Vietnam to America were purchased with a loan from the government that my parents paid back in monthly installments of $50 over five years.
Read MoreOctober 19, 2020
Bich-May Nguyen, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Our first clinic patient with coronavirus came in mid-March with new onset fatigue. He was hospitalized and died quickly. A few nurses who came into close contact isolated themselves at home and survived without complications. Since then, our primary care clinic now provides masks for everyone, face shields for employees, plexiglass shields at the front desk, and video and telephone appointments.
Read MoreOctober 14, 2020
While Donald Trump is receiving treatment for his COVID-19 infection, Americans are once again reminded of the vital importance of health and healthcare. As health care workers, we do not want any harm to any patient, and thus we hope that Donald Trump will recover from his COVID-19 infection. As Vietnamese Americans, we know that the Vietnamese proverb “health is gold” is truer now more than ever. Without health, no one can work, love, or enjoy life. The COVID-19 pandemic has made health the number one priority.
Read MoreOctober 12, 2020
Ed Bureau, PhD
Phe X. Bach, EdD
Do we need to be gob-smacked by science any more than we have as human beings? As a society? Science has and continues to tell us that we are destroying the earth’s climate and are increasingly imperiled by viruses and microbes. As NASA reports (https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/), the evidence for rapid climate change is overwhelming and compelling, as seen in data on global temperature rise, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, glacial retreat, decreased snow cover, sea-level rise, declining arctic sea ice, extreme climatic events, ocean acidification. As the climate deteriorates, a pandemic daily sickens and kills thousands of Americans. Sadly, we are not alone in this global crisis. Still, America leads other nations in the number of cases and deaths, as tracked by the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data).
Read MoreOctober 2, 2020
My Asian immigrant mom doesn't understand why I'm so political. She doesn’t worry about policies. She worries I won’t find a nice boy to marry and take care of me. She doesn’t know her legislators and she definitely doesn’t want to talk to them. She is, however, upset that I don’t call her often enough.
But, my Asian immigrant mom knew how to raise four independent daughters and send us all to college. When I was growing up, my mom worked seven days a week, 12 hours a day. She still woke me up for breakfast and packed my lunch. Every day. Her reward for raising me, her youngest, to adulthood was losing her Medicaid health insurance. And as contracted labor she had no employer-sponsored health insurance, no matter the hours she worked.
Read MoreOctober 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.
Read MoreOctober 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.
Read MoreSeptember 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.
Read MoreSunday, 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.
Read MoreTuesday, 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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