Newsletter - February 10, 2021

February 10, 2021

A Brand New Year: Time to Plan, Build, and Act

It is a brand new year, whether you start counting on January 20, 2021, when Joe Biden became the President of the United States or on February 12, 2021 with Tết. The pandemic’s latest peak has slowed down, and more and more people are getting vaccinated. This is a time for hope. But as progressives, hope is only the beginning. It is the time to plan, to build, and to act.

The PIVOT Board met for its virtual retreat on January 30 and 31. We reviewed our accomplishments over the last 4 years. We went over the lessons learned based on your feedback from the Election Team survey and the PIVOT culture and climate survey. We saw where we still need to continue to build, from better member engagement to augmenting our leadership development to advocating for policy priorities. We will be rolling out our plans for your feedback and we will need your help.

The PIVOT leadership wish all PIVOTers and your loved ones a brand new year full of good health, success, and love. We look forward to working with and learning from all of you as we continue to build a better PIVOT and a better country.

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới
Chúng Ta Khắp Nơi
Xây Dựng Đang Thời
Tương Lai Sắp Tới

Tung Nguyen, PIVOT President

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PIVOT COVID Vaccine Education

PIVOT COVID Vaccine Education

February 6, 2021

Vaccine Basic Information

  • Why should I get a COVID-19 vaccine?

    • We are still learning about both COVID-19 and the vaccines, but we know that getting COVID-19 can make you very sick. Most people who get the vaccine have either no or minor symptoms.

    • COVID-19 can be a deadly disease, but it is preventable with the COVID-19 vaccine.

    • Even when the person does not die from COVID-19, they may get very sick and stay in the hospital for many days. Many people who got COVID-19, but didn’t need to stay in the hospital, report health problems for months. Because we do not know the long term problems from COVID-19, don’t take a chance and get the vaccine.

    • By getting the vaccine, you protect not only yourself but also your family, friends, and co-workers because they will be less likely to get COVID-19 from you.

    • The more people get the vaccine, the sooner we can control the pandemic and begin to resume normal life.

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PIVOT CONDEMNS THE DESECRATION OF SOUTH VIETNAM’S FLAG IN THE INSURRECTION AT THE U.S. CAPITOL

PIVOT CONDEMNS THE DESECRATION OF SOUTH VIETNAM’S FLAG IN THE INSURRECTION AT THE U.S. CAPITOL

January 9, 2021

On January 6th, as part of the insurrection that attacked the heart of American democracy, we saw the disturbing sight of the yellow flags with three red stripes of the Vietnamese Heritage flag carried by those attacking the Capitol. This flag has long been a symbol of the Vietnamese American community in the US; yet on that terrible day, it was flying alongside flags that symbolize hate and intolerance.

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A Message From PIVOT President On The Events of the Last 24 Hours

A Message From PIVOT President On The Events of the Last 24 Hours

January 6, 2021

PIVOTers,

Within the last 24 hours, we saw both the promise of democracy and the very real threats to it. We saw that progressives won not one but two Senate races in Georgia, something that would have been unthinkable just 2 years ago. And those wins were driven by local organizations working with communities of color to engage and empower them. That’s real result and that’s real hope. That’s America.

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The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization-PIVOT Congratulates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and Celebrates our Shared Victory

The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization-PIVOT Congratulates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and Celebrates our Shared Victory

The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization-PIVOT Congratulates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and Celebrates our Shared Victory

PIVOT commits to Peaceful Transition of Power and Continuing Work towards a Just and Diverse America

November 5, 2020 -- In an unprecedented election, amidst the looming backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and rampant racism and deception, PIVOT celebrates the hard-earned victory for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. This historic win, with over 100 million Americans voting early and by mail, signals our nation’s path towards a return to humanity and decency.

PIVOT, a national progressive multi-generational Vietnamese American organization formed in 2017 to galvanize Vietnamese Americans to fight for a just and diverse America, congratulates President-Elect Biden and Vice-President-Elect Harris. We remain committed to ensuring that the candidates chosen by the American people take their rightful place in office in January 2021. PIVOT joins over 165 groups that includes SEIU, Planned Parenthood, Black Lives Matter, Sunrise Movement, and Women’s March coalition, that was formed to protect the results of the election and ensure a peaceful transition of power. As Americans, we must do our part to preserve the nation’s democracy.

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Message From PIVOT President Tung Nguyen

November 4, 2020

As of now, the morning of November 4th, 2020, we still do not know who the next President of the United States will be.The expected delay in results from several states is due to the large volume of mailed in votes.This is good news for Joe Biden because the data have shown that he has won mailed in votes by a wide margin.

Disappointingly, although also expected, Donald Trump has already started his effort to steal the election. Overnight, he expressed his wish to stop counting ballots in states where he is ahead and to continue to count where he is behind. He has begun to put out the narrative that he won so anything that happens after 11/3 is a fraud. His campaign manager has stated that they would win if only “legal” ballots were counted.

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Investments in Vietnamese and AAPI organizing is impacting battle ground states

Investments in Vietnamese and AAPI organizing is impacting battle ground states

November 1, 2020
Hieu Le, PIVOT Board Member

The PIVOT fellowship and internship program is an organizing and political program designed to increase civic engagement within the Vietnamese-American and Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities. It also is designed to build leadership and experience for those interested in politics, public policy, and government. Our goal is to build a pipeline of more Vietnamese American leaders in politics.

Through partnerships with local c3 and c4 organizations, PIVOT hired 11 fellows and interns working in battleground states to conduct voter contact work in our communities, helping to increase voter turnout in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona, and help flip these states blue. According to 538 polling averages, all these states are extremely competitive and flipping any one of them may be the difference between electing an experienced leader and unifier in Joe Biden or suffering and enduring another four more years of an incompetent and divisive Donald Trump.

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To Contain the Coronavirus

To Contain the Coronavirus

October 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.

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Vietnamese American Health Care Workers on Donald Trump and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Vietnamese American Health Care Workers on Donald Trump and the COVID-19 Pandemic

October 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.

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