P1 1WHEREAS, April 30, 2015, marks the 40th anniversary of the
2fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, to communism; and
3WHEREAS, For many Vietnam and Vietnam-era veterans who
4were directly involved in the war and Vietnamese Americans who
5have settled in the United States, the Vietnam War was a tragedy
6full of great suffering and the loss of American, Vietnamese, and
7Southeast Asian lives; and
8WHEREAS, Fifty-eight thousand one hundred sixty-nine people
9were killed and 304,000 were wounded out of the 2.59 million
10people who served in the Vietnam War. One out of every 10
11Americans who served in Vietnam became a casualty of war; and
12WHEREAS, After the fall of Saigon, over 135,000 Vietnamese
13people and their families fled to the United States, including former
14military personnel, government officials, and those who had
15worked for the United States during the war; and
16WHEREAS, Thousands of people took boats in order to leave
17Vietnam in the late 1970s to mid-1980s. The successful emigrants
18reached refugee camps in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the
19Philippines and Hong Kong; while approximately one-half of the
20people fleeing Vietnam perished at sea; and
21WHEREAS, According to the United States Census for 2010,
22more than 465,000 Vietnamese live in California, with the largest
23concentration of Vietnamese found outside of Vietnam residing
24in Orange County; and
P2 1WHEREAS, Human rights, religious freedom, democracy, and
2protection against threats of aggression are important concerns of
3Vietnamese Americans; and
4WHEREAS, We must teach our children and future generations
5important lessons from the Vietnam War, including how the plight
6of the Vietnamese refugees following the end of war serves as a
7powerful example of the values of freedom and democracy; and
8WHEREAS, We, the people of California, should actively
9rededicate ourselves to the principles of human rights, individual
10freedom, sovereignty, and equal protection under the laws of a just
11and democratic world. Californians should set aside moments of
12time every year on April 30 to give remembrance to the soldiers,
13medical personnel, and civilians who died during the Vietnam War
14in pursuit of freedom; and
15WHEREAS, Vietnamese American communities throughout
16California will commemorate April 30, 2015, as Black April, a
17day of remembrance and rededication to the principles of freedom,
18including freedom of expression, freedom of press, and Internet
19freedom; now, therefore, be it
20Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That in
21recognition of the great tragedy and suffering and lives lost during
22the Vietnam War, the week of April 23, 2015, to April 30, 2015,
23inclusive, shall be proclaimed Black April Memorial Week, a
24special time for Californians to remember the countless lives lost
25during the Vietnam War era, and to hope for more justice and
26liberty for the people of Vietnam; and be it further
27Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
28of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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