2018 Courts’ Statement on Black Lives Matter

Dear community,

MVNCI stands in solidarity with the Black community and the Black Lives Matter Movement. As young, female leaders, we recognize and condemn the wrongful oppression of Black people in our nation through militarized and racist police institutions across the country. We grieve for and are enraged by the tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Sean Reed, David McAtee, and far too many countless others at the hands of the police state.

We are all accountable for creating a world guided by transformative justice processes, especially recognizing the harm that institutional racism has waged on the Black community and all communities of color. But we acknowledge that as Vietnamese Americans, as Asian Americans, our communities have especially deep historical roots in amplifying and perpetuating anti-Blackness. At the great expense of the Black community, we have benefited from the fruits of the Black Power and Civil Rights Movements and the “model minority myth” stereotype as a tool to further oppress Black communities. As Asian Americans, we must continue to reckon with the racist foundations of many of our institutions, and as MVNCI, we commit to actively work to identify and eradicate anti-Blackness as it exists within our community and ourselves. We realize this is an ongoing process and the bare minimum of what non-Black folks must be doing to fight racism and work towards an equitable future.

It is critically important that we use our energy to help our family members understand the historical and current oppression of the Black community. In the Vietnamese American community, language barriers may sometimes be an issue when trying to explain issues of social justice. However, the resources do exist, and while we have compiled a shortlist of Vietnamese-translated sources below, the need to actively inform our family members who may not otherwise have access is ongoing and does not stop here.

We call on our fellow Asian American communities, including other organizations, who have not already spoken out to take a stance in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. If you have the capacity, please donate to a fund listed in the resources section. MVNCI has donated to People’s Breakfast Oakland in support of the movement.

For further resources, please see below.

In community and solidarity,
MVNCI Court 2018
MTVNC Court 2018

Vietnamese Resources:

  • An Open Letter translated in Vietnamese about why BLM and how we as Asians can help:
  • Overview on the history of Blacks in America and why it’s important for Vietnamese people to reflect on our paralleled experiences:

General Resources:

  • How the “Model Minority Myth” negatively affects Black communities:
  • A Guide to Allyship:
  • BLM/Indigenous Resources and Funds includes recommendations for social media activism, guides for protesting, funds to donate to, anti-racist readings, and specific resources for black and indigenous communities:
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