"There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock
news and no pictures of hairy armed women
liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose.
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb,
Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom
Jones, Johnny Cash, Englebert Humperdink, or the Rare Earth.
The revolution will not be televised." Gil Scott-Heron, 1970.... I love that revolutionary spirit.
I've never been too much of a holiday person, especially with Tet (Lunar New Year) because I'm a little claustrophobic and a lot self-conscious around large groups of Vietnamese people... and their Vietnamese expectations.
But Tet in the U.S., especially for the waves of refugees who escaped here is a beautiful celebration. In Viet Nam, the revolution was televised. In Viet Nam, you'd probably be shot dead if you displayed the South Viet Nam flag, and sang the Republic of Viet Nam's national anthem. Especially around those joyless northern guards or street people who still believe it's ok to call people niggers. Here, you couldn't have Tet without the flag. During the Tet planning in Maryland and greater D.C., the MVMA staff attempted to shield the people from the communist flag at the school where Tet was held, and at least for a while, we were successful.
Especially in the older generation, there is a sense of pride and country when they honor their flag. Unless they're privileged international college students from Ha Noi, every person with Vietnamese decent in the U.S. is fromSouth Viet Nam. They call it little Sai Gon and not little Ho Chi Minh City for a reason. As many differences as I have with Vietnamese elders, I do find it a bit ironic that American schools disrespect their democratic allies, those who have been P.O.W.'s, refugees, immigrants, soldiers... literally fresh off the boat, by displaying the communist flag and not teaching about South Viet Nam. Especially since these refugees (I guess I would be included in this category) came to the U.S. to have more of a voice.
The seniors insisted on the flag salute, and will once again organize against Montgomery Schools, with the help of parents and Vietnamese American students, to take down a flag that represents a lot of fear and oppression... and is the very reason they're persecuted here to the U.S. Other state protests have succeeded, and I'm glad to see that the spirit of activism still exists within the older generation. It's something that many apathetic young people of my generation, who attain degrees for the sole purpose of serving themselves and making money, could learn from.
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Photo Credit: Thanh Luong
Additionally, for those who identify as Vietnamese Americans, Tet is a rare opportunity to hold onto a bit of themselves, their motherland, their food, their dress, their music, to walk around and see faces of people who look like them and speak a comforting dialect. It reassures them that they still have something in their soul that America hasn't completely white-washed over. Helping plan Tet in Silver Spring was new and challenging. I can't lie and say I didn't run 11 miles 2 days before to de-stress from the idea of 1500 people looking at me like I'm a Vietnamese girl who has passionate Vietnamese ideals (why else wouldI work for an organization with Vietnamese in the title and help plan Tet, right?). I'd survive ok not seeing another Vietnamese person outside my family for a good while. Yet ultimately, the venture was overwhelmingly successful and ultimately, it's not about me but about bringing Tet and a little piece of home for the people who love it.
Photo Credit: Thanh Luong
The Tet recap I co-wrote.
A link to some research I did on Vietnamese Americans in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Because I like the international field of it:
