At some point during one of the workshops, inside of one of the many conference rooms in the Capitol, a visceral and subconscious realization engulfed me: Born and raised in Southern California, the events in this building have influenced everything that has happened in my life. A floor vote funded my education. The food, water, and air I breathe are all directed by actions in this building. The epicenter of Vietnamese diasporic activity, for better or for worse, owes its existence and its lifeline to Sacramento.
Weeks before the trip, I had noticed the relatively large number of Vietnamese politicians and staff members we would be talking to. One staff member went to my same elementary school, and another married at the most sought-after Vietnamese wedding restaurant in Orange County. Walking into the assembly floor, I saw the Republic of Vietnam Flag, i.e. the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag, or most commonly known as the “Southern Vietnamese” flag, sitting on the desk of Assemblymember Tri Ta.
Talking to Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, I asked her how she navigated her time as a Vietnamese assemblymember that is a non-conservative politician. She described how because of her political ideology, she is shut out by many of her fellow Vietnamese politicians.
Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen during a lunch meet and greet session with CLA.
It’s frustrating seeing how many politicians talk about Vietnamese conservatism. It’s always been important for me to imbue the conservative Vietnamese subject with social critique. How have U.S. imperial agendas of generosity shaped Vietnamese ideology? How has anti-communism served as cultural resistance? Frankly, these are questions that many politicians, especially Republican Vietnamese politicians, do not care about.
I think the Capitol trip also reaffirmed my belief that Asian American solidarity does not have to mean sameness. White supremacy wants us to essentialize all Asian Americans as having the same cultural values, as all being raised the same way — inhabiting one Asian American “experience.” It was so interesting hearing all these generational perspectives from people with vastly different lived experiences. At the same time, I heard this collective fear of economic immobility that almost universally plagued these staffers at some point in their lives. Though many blamed this on parental cultural values and expectations, it was clear to me that we all eventually can trace the root cause of “parental pressure” back to capitalism.
I was glad to get to have a deep dive into the Capitol. It’s important to know the systems that we’re fighting for and against, and I feel like I certainly learned new important ideas during this trip.
The Policy Team: Kenny Lê, Liam Chia, and William Chao
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the views or positions of CAUSE or the CAUSE network.
Written by Kenny Lê, Leadership Academy 2023 Intern.
The CAUSE Leadership Academy (CLA) for students is a nine-week, paid, internship program that prepares college undergraduates to lead and advocate for the Asian Pacific Islander community on their campuses and beyond.