Democratic members of San Jose’s Vietnamese community are forming a club to mobilize the political front.
The Vietnamese American Democratic Club of Silicon Valley hopes to be established within the Santa Clara County Democratic Party to organize and empower like-minded members within the community. The party executive committee gave approval in December and sent the club to the January 11 Central Committee meeting with a request for recognition.
San Jose’s Vietnamese population is sparse, even though they make up more than 10% of the city’s population. San Jose has more Vietnamese residents than any other U.S. city outside of Vietnam. Its residents, many of whom are immigrants, have historically suffered from economic inequality in resources and services, as well as language barriers.
Vu Thai, the founding president of the Vietnamese American Democratic Club of Silicon Valley, said he had been hearing conversations about this type of club for decades, but until now no action had been taken.
“It’s no longer just that you’re Vietnamese and you’re on the ballot,” Tai told San Jose Spotlight. “We want our community to vote wisely and vote for candidates who have a track record and can get things done.”
Tai hopes the club will organize and reach out to the democratic Vietnamese population on various equity and access issues facing the community. As a former Franklin McKinley School District board member, Tai said the club provides guidance to Vietnamese candidates running for local elections because the process can be difficult.
Betty Duong, who is running for District 2 on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, said when she learned about the club, she was eager to register. Duong said the club could bring more visibility to the many issues facing the Vietnamese population and engage candidates about supporting the community in public forums.
“Being able to have a Vietnamese voice within the democratic movement allows us to elevate issues affecting specific communities while supporting broader issues affecting the Asian American community.” We can,” Duong told San Jose Spotlight.
The 2nd District race is the first for the Vietnamese community, with both Duong and former San Jose Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen, who served as San Jose’s first Vietnamese-American City Council member from 2005 to 2014, joining other candidates. Compete for vacant seats with candidates.
Lan Nguyen, first vice president of the Democratic Club, said it was important to create a structure so the club would serve as a formal organization to support specific Democratic issues and candidates. Although there are many groups within the Vietnamese community, Nguyen said there is no organized way to bring them together, and efforts to support candidates, initiatives and issues have so far been disjointed.
“Many of us have networks in the community because we’ve lived here so long and how involved we’ve been, but we don’t have the means or the organization,” Nguyen told San Jose Spotlight. “Now we’re saying, ‘We have this and we’re all Democrats, so let’s see if we can come together.'”
Santa Clara County Democratic Party Chairman Bill James said he is enthusiastic about the club’s future. The party has already announced its support for the March primary election, so the new club will not be able to participate in that decision. But James said there are plenty of opportunities for clubs to mobilize to campaign for specific candidates or reach out to voters in elections.
“It’s a natural path for our party to engage more with the Vietnamese community,” James told San Jose Spotlight.
Tai said she hopes to engage with the Vietnamese community at an event in February during the Lunar New Year holiday, and hopes the club can be established and begin mobilizing in time for the March 5 primary. Stated.
“Our club is based on democratic values and priorities and we really want to bring together and build bridges for people who truly believe in that approach,” Tai said.
Please contact B. Sakura Cannestra. [email protected] or @Sakukannestra X, formerly known as Twitter.
