(U-WIRE) -Sitting in a staff meeting for the Vietnamese Student Union in preparations for the upcoming Black April event inspired a weird feeling of sadness and nostalgia inside me. I was not sure what this weird feeling was, but I knew it had to do with the upcoming days of what is known by Vietnamese abroad as Thang Tu Den
or Black April.
What is Black April? Some people believe it has something to do with Black History month. Others with more historical knowledge say it is when the United States lost the Vietnam War. From all of these discussions, people can only say that Black April is important, but most people do not have knowledge of why. I find that even though there really is no true definition of Black April, it still exists in the hearts of Vietnamese abroad as the day that transformed their lives forever.
As the 30th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end to the Vietnam War approaches on April 30, my feelings about the day continue to grow stronger. I feel that some Vietnamese-Americans (especially the second generation and beyond) have forgotten about their Vietnamese side because they grew up outside the country or their loved ones refuse to talk about it with them. It is sad to see that people have forgotten such an important day. While working on video footage for commemoration of this day last year, I felt angered by the lack of knowledge displayed by some of the Vietnamese-American students here at UCLA. However, I understand that not everyone has the opportunity to learn about such an event.
Being a part of the 1.5 generation (people born in Vietnam but who moved to the United States at a very early age), I feel inclined to remember my past and the sacrifices of the refugees and immigrants who paved the way for people of my age to be where we are today. There is a video called Hanh Trinh Tim Tu Do or the Journey to Freedom which always reminds me of what it means to be an immigrant. It discusses the impact of Black April on the Vietnamese exodus, those who risked everything in pursuit of freedom from cruelty and oppression. A vast number of people perished on this journey as they faced the multiple challenges from the relentless sea. Those who were lucky enough to make it would rather forget their journeys than have to remember the hardships they had undergone to get here. It is sad to say that that message has somehow been lost on the younger generations.
I guess my main reason for expressing my opinions is the hope that people who have never heard of Black April or do not understand what this day really is get a chance to hear a little about it from a perspective similar to theirs. It has been 30 years since the end of that fateful day --April 30 -when over 2 million Vietnamese people were forced to leave their homeland as they fled from persecution and oppression.
There are now a third and almost fourth generation of Vietnamese in the United States and all over the world. Hopefully we, the younger folks, will not forget about the importance of this day, about the sacrifices of those who have gone before us, and about why we are here in a foreign land away from the rest of our people and our native soil.
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