The Power of Communities Uniting - Reflecting on Vietnam & Afghanistan

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Watching news of the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan as US troops leave reminds many in the Vietnamese community of how desperate we were to flee Vietnam when Saigon fell. A few close friends, Thanh Tan, Uyen Nguyen, and Bao-Tram Do, started an initiative to recruit Vietnamese families to sign up to support Afghan Refugees. It's called 75 Viets for 75 Afghan families because "75" represents the year Vietnam fell. I’m inspired by how much a small group of passionate people can accomplish. Watch Uyen’s interview on CNN.

My parents and I fled Vietnam in 1979 as boat people. I was only two months old, so I don't remember anything of the journey. I spent the first part of my career as a historian of Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Many people don't understand the “push" factors that compelled so many refugees to risk their lives to leave. Instead, many focus on the “pull” factors of what drew refugees to the US. I talked about this in a recent interview on the Inclusive History podcast.

Last month, I participated in a small retreat for Vietnamese American scholars of Vietnam. Being among this particular group of academics reinforced how much my training as a historian has informed my work fostering curiosity, seeking different perspectives, and multiple truths. I also discovered lessons around the choices we make to belong to a community, which you can read about here.

Based on these recent experiences, I’ve come up with some powerful questions you can try asking yourself and your friends, family, and coworkers.

How did your family come to the US?
What are the "push" and "pull" factors in your life that influence how you make big decisions?
What communities have you belonged to that still influence you now?
What past professional experiences are core to your work today?

Try these and let us know how the conversation turns out.

Indiegogo Campaign Update:

If you contributed to the Indiegogo campaign and haven't received a personal thank you from me or any updates from Indiegogo, there's a chance Indiegogo didn't register your contribution. We've discovered five instances of this already. If you think this happened, email hnin@curiositybased.com and we’ll check for you.

Also, we have $1,000 virtual book events still available. Get this perk for your company, club, or department.

Our stretch goal is to raise $21,000 by the end of this month and currently, we're only $15 away from $17,000! Help us spread the word and get us there.

Back the Campaign!

Each month we'll be writing about a different form of respect in the CB blog and linking it below. Make sure to check out our next newsletter to learn about 'Information' as a form of respect!

Procedure - learn more about procedure
Punctuality - learn more about punctuality
Information - *coming soon*

In March, we invested in marketing and communications support and hired Julie's long time friend, Brittany Danyelle. We became Brittany's first regular client and now, she's quit her 9-5 and officially launched her own company! She focuses on empowering BIPOC-owned small businesses with establishing a powerful brand.

Check out Brittany's site!

Curiosity Is the Secret to a Happy Life - Research has found that high and consistent levels of curiosity correlate with mental well-being and life satisfaction. Have you added this secret source of happiness to your life today?