Watch for the story of Randy Tran on KPIX (CBS) in San Francisco on June 2 at 11 p.m. and June 3 at 6 p.m. by television journalist Thuy Vu. Randy was featured in performance at the May 4, 2008 conference of the Amerasian Fellowship Association in San Jose. The Association supports H.R. 4007, the Amerasian Paternity Recognition Act sponsored by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. H.R. 4007, The Amerasian Paternity Recognition Act H.R. 4007 would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide citizenship for certain children of United States servicemen born overseas during the Vietnam and Korean Wars. Detailed Summary Amerasian Paternity Recognition Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to confer automatic citizenship on aliens residing in the United States in lawful permanent resident status: (1) pursuant to a classification petition approved under a provision that gives preferential treatment to persons born in Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, or Thailand after 1950 and before October 22, 1982, and fathered by a U.S. citizen; or (2) who were born in Vietnam after January 1, 1962, and before January 1, 1976, and fathered by a U.S. citizen. Status of the Legislation Latest Major Action: 11/2/2007: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law. http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_4007.html#toc0 Amerasian Fellowship Association of United States Gia Dinh My Viet tai Hoa Ky http://www.giadinhmyviet-afa.org/   more »

State Schools Chief asks for public input to update History-Social Science Framework Now is the time to make your viewpoint known about the Vietnam War and the Southeast Asian refugee experience in California textbooks. Three focus groups will be held on May 30 in San Jose, June 5 in Los Angeles, and June 6 in San Diego to gather public input on updating the existing History-Social Science Framework. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell has organized these meetings to “ensure that the framework reflections the most current and confirmed research on education in the subject area. The focus group meetings will be open to the public, and comments made at each meeting will be forwarded to the Curriculum Development and Instructional Materials Commission and the State Board of Education for consideration. The agenda for the May 30 meeting, to be held at the Santa Clara County Office of Education, 1290 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose from 3 to 6 p.m. allows 40 minutes for public comment. Written comments are encouraged, brought to the meeting in your location. The June 5 meeting is at the Los Angeles County Office of Education, 9300 Imperial Highway, Downey. The June 6 meeting is at the San Diego County Office of Education at 6401 Linda Vista Highway, San Diego. For more information on the specifics, see http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/hs/cf/index.asp Duc Nguyen, a California filmmaker (Bolinao 52) has organized an online histories collection group to bring to the attention of the State Superintendent and the Curriculum Framework Commission. You can join this group at ab2064-subscribe@yahoogroups.com My personal participation will be to donate five books in English by Vietnamese American authors to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell on May 30: Quang X. Pham, A Sense of Duty; My Father, My American Journey (2005) Trinh Do, Saigon to San Diego, Memoir of a Boy Who Escaped from Communist Vietnam (2005) Nghia Vo, The Vietnamese Boat People, 1954 and 1975-1992 (2005) Andrew Lam, Perfume Dreams, Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora (2005) Life, Poetry and Prison -- Cuoc Song, Thi Van, va Tu Day; Nguyen Chi Thien's poetry translated by Nguyen Thi (2007) Special thanks to Quang Pham, Nguyen Chi Thien, and Nghia Vo, for your support in donating these books to me for discretionary use. Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review   more »

UPDATE: The Assembly Appropriations Committee chair Mark Leno has placed AB2064 into Suspension. All are encouraged to ask him to release the bill back to the floor of the Assembly. I am writing in strong support of AB 2064, which would require the State Board of Education to adopt textbooks and instructional materials to include instruction on the Vietnam War. Specifically to include the "Secret War" in Laos, the role of Southeast Asians in that war, and the refugee/immigrant/new American experience as a result of the war. The adoption of Assembly Bill 1076 on February 22, 2005, on this topic excluded the provision in the present AB 2064 for refugee/new American experiences about the Vietnam War. AB2064 also provides curriculum inclusion specifically directed to the next cycle of the History-Social Science Framework which begins in January, 2009. The Timeline of Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee Application and scheduled Focus Groups to advise the CFECC for the mandated State Board of Education provision of thirty months’ notice to publishers for evaluation criteria is imminent for the next submission cycle. Focus groups to solicit public input on the framework update in AB2064 are scheduled for May and June 2008 Applications for the Curriculum Commission to draft the framework between February and June 2009 are due on September 3, 2008. Therefore the opportunity for Southeast Asian citizens and their organizations to influence the framework in the expanded definition of the subject of the Vietnam War and immigrant/new American experience is extremely short. In your discussion on May 7, please include provision for inclusion of participants in the Vietnam War who immigrated because of the war and are now citizens of California and the United States not limited to the ‘Secret War’ in Laos and those who provided intelligence to the U.S. military during the unspecified period of the ‘Vietnam War.’ This should include participants in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the Government of the Republic of Vietnam (GRVN) which was allied with the United States, persons rescued from the April, 1975, invasion of South Vietnam including Operation Babylift, medical personnel, and civilians associated with missionary and charitable organizations. Further, include persons who escaped the imprisonment, property confiscation, and discrimination of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as “Boat People” refugees and Orderly Departure assisted by the United Nations between 1975 and 1990, those who immigrated through the Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1988, and those who immigrated through the Humanitarian Operation (H.O.) program of prisoners of the Socialist government of Vietnam and their families beginning in 1992 and renewed by the U.S. Congress as recently as 2007 All of these are conditions and experiences of present citizens and residents of California. If they are included in Focus Groups and encouraged to apply for the CFCC through organizations such as the Amerasian Fellowship Association, ARVN veterans societies, geographical community associations, religious organizations that are outlawed and adherents persecuted in Vietnam such as the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) and Catholic parish and Protestant organizations, Overseas Women Associations, ethnic media, medical, and professional organizations, Immigrant Resettlement and Cultural Centers, Southeast Asian student and youth groups seeking memoir such as the Digital Clubhouse at History San Jose by the Assembly Appropriations Committee in your action on AB2064, the spirit as well as the letter of the AB2064 will be upheld. Thank you for your attention to this vital inclusion in the History and Social Science Framework Update for the 2009 – 2011 cycle. Sincerely, Jean Libby, editor VietAm Review http://vietamreview.blogharbor.com   more »