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news
Silence
will commemorate Black April
By Ako Sakurai
Dairy Forty-Niner
To argue audibly
for things you believe is one thing. To keep quiet and spend
a day of silence for the commemoration of the historical event
is another thing.
Volunteers from the Vietnamese Student Association from Cal
State Long Beach will represent the Vietnamese people, along
with members of nine other Vietnamese student associations
and the Union of Vietnamese student association, today at
7 p.m. in front of the 99 Ranch Market in Little Saigon.
"30 Thang 4" or "Black April," will commemorate
how Vietnamese have been oppressed since the communist takeover
of South Vietnam on April 30, 1975. The commemoration ceremony,
in Little Saigon, will follow the break of a daylong silence
on campus.
On April 30, 1975, Communists took over South Vietnam, suppressing
freedom. The day of silence will commemorate people such as
Vietnamese citizens and veterans who are no longer able to
speak, said Cathy Ngo, co-president of the Vietnamese Student
Association and a international business and finance major
at Cal State Long Beach.
"I feel that we need to recognize it," Ngo said.
"This event will make us stronger."
This year is the first time that the CSLUB Vietnamese Student
Association will participate in the event, Ngo said.
"I have never done this event before," said Ngo.
"It's a really important event and it's our duty to bring
all the people together."
People representing nine other Vietnamese student associations
and the Union of Vietnamese student association will break
the silence by starting the event with the national anthem
of both the United States and Vietnam.
After the national anthems, prayers and a speech by the keynote
speaker, Tran Thai Van, a councilman for Garden Grove will
follow. Tran is the second Vietnamese-American in elected
office in the United States.
A slide show and presentations by people who took part in
the daylong silence will be shared. Aside from that, at noon,
there will be a moment of silence everywhere, Ngo said.
"The Vietnamese Student Association was originally born
on the idea of uniting those with a common interest: the Vietnamese
culture," Ngo said.
The group's on-campus activities include social events and
fundraisers. They are welcoming everyone to join about 30
members of the association.
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