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OP-ED: Maintaining 40 Years of Peace in Vietnam

Published

11 years ago

August 7, 2015

Oakland Post

By Anh Le

On July 7, President Barack Obama met with Nguyen Trong Phu, Vietnam’s Communist Party Secretary at the White House.

April 15 was the commemoration of the 40-year anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

&lt;p>My father served as a diplomat in West Germany. Before that, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saigon with Vu Van Mau, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

During the War in Vietnam, Vu Van Mau called for a peaceful settlement to the war. Vu Van Mau later resigned from the government to protest the Ngo Dinh

Diem government’s brutal treatment of Buddhist monks, who were setting themselves on fire as protest against the regime.

My parents had themselves experienced the tragic consequences that befall a nation caught in the human condition called war. During the French-Indochina War, my father was imprisoned and tortured by the French.

He was tortured daily for two years by his captors, beaten, and given electric shocks to his genitals and body.

In the eyes of the French captors, my father’s sin was that he was born a Vietnamese human being, and was a well educated one.

My mother had been raped during the French-Indochina War period.

My father, who later became a professor in the U.S., yearned and prayed for peace in his homeland during the Vietnam War. My mother, who had not seen her parents and siblings for decades, prayed for peace, hoping that the raining of bombs from B-52s would cease.

Since 1975, we have witnessed the spirit of reconciliation between Vietnam and the U.S.

A few years ago, immigrants within the Vietnamese-American community argued vehemently over the loss of their country — “mat nuoc” (“loss of country”) — even while the term “giai phong” (liberation) and “ngay thong nhat” (day of reunification) were commonly used to mark the war’s end.

The end of the war meant for the Vietnamese people “bon muoi nam mien Bac va Nam thong thuong” (“40 years of the Vietnamese people in the North and South regions traveling freely as a people of a reunified country”).

A major challenge to Vietnam’s security has been the territorial conflicts over the Spratly Islands between Vietnam and China, as well as China and her other neighbors, reminding us of the threat of war looming over this oil- and gas-rich region.

Vietnam called for international negotiations and adherence to the Convention on the Law of the Sea, which China rejected.

China has expanded its military presence in the region, with land reclamation and the building of military installations.

Vietnam has purchased submarines from Russia to beef up its defense.

The U.S. military has flown reconnaissance flights over the Spratly Islands, and China warning the U.S. pilots to steer away.

Vietnam and the U.S. increasingly strengthen their alliance, in partnership with other Asian nations, to counteract China’s threat.

It is ironic that Vietnam, once viewed as the enemy by the U.S., is now so strongly courted by the U.S. government.

This is the paradox of the relationship between both nations.

Geopolitically, Vietnam is once again in a unique place on the world’s stage.

I believe that we must call on the U.N., along with the World Court in The Hague, to address the issues in the Spratly Islands region, to prevent a war with catastrophic and tragic consequences for all sides.

Let us not forget the Vietnam War but strive to learn the lessons from it. Let us work for a peaceful world, for ourselves, our children and all future generations.

My hope for Vietnam, my native country and the land of my parents and ancestors, is that she will enjoy peace for generations to come.

Chuc Nuoc Vietnam Hoa Binh Mai Mai. May Vietnam Enjoy Lasting Peace.

Anh Le has worked with the Vietnamese American community in San Francisco and the Bay Area for many years.

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Not Just a Southern Issue: Advocates Say SCOTUS Voting Rights Decision Has Already Started to Reshape Black Political Power

OAKLAND POST — Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, constitutional amendments expanded Black citizenship and voting rights across the South, leading to dramatic increases in Black political representation. But those gains were quickly met with violent backlash and the rise of Jim Crow laws designed to suppress Black voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and other “race-neutral” restrictions.

Published

2 months ago

June 17, 2026

bpusa-syndication

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) whose district spans parts of Los Angeles County, joined fellow CBC member U.S. Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA-2) for a May 21 briefing with Black media outlets in California.

The lawmakers highlighted what they describe as a mounting threat to Black political representation resulting from an April 29 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened key protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.

Kamlager-Dove and Carter warned that the decision, which narrowed the role of race in redistricting, is already reshaping congressional districts across the South and undermining Black voters’ ability to elect candidates of their choice.

“While we are a super blue state, we have far to go when it comes to Black representation; we tend to take that for granted,” Kamlager-Dove said of California, noting that the Golden State has the fifth largest Black population in the country and only has three Black members of Congress.

“While I support building coalitions, we have to make sure that as a Black community we are not yielding our power,” she added.

Calling the fight “not unique to the South,” Carter urged Black communities nationwide to recognize the broader implications of the legal and political battles unfolding in Southern legislatures and courtrooms.

The Supreme Court ruling centers on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the portion of the law that prohibits voting systems or district maps that dilute the voting strength of racial minorities. For decades, Section 2 allowed civil rights groups to challenge district maps that weakened Black political representation even when lawmakers did not openly state discriminatory intent.

Now, advocates fear that standard has fundamentally changed.

“You have to have smoking gun evidence,” said Mitchell Brown, senior voting rights counsel at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, during a recent media briefing hosted by American Community Media on May 15. “Legislators are not going to say the quiet part out loud.”

The implications could stretch far beyond congressional elections, Brown said.

Section 2 protections have historically applied not only to U.S. House districts, but also to state legislatures, school boards, county commissions, judgeships, and local governing bodies. Voting rights advocates warn that weakening those protections could reshape political representation throughout the South, particularly in states with large Black populations.

“This is not just a Southern issue,” said Amir Badat, manager of Black Voters on the Rise and voting special counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Badat described the current moment as part of a much longer historical pattern.

Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, constitutional amendments expanded Black citizenship and voting rights across the South, leading to dramatic increases in Black political representation. But those gains were quickly met with violent backlash and the rise of Jim Crow laws designed to suppress Black voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and other “race-neutral” restrictions.

“This is the same move,” Badat said.

Advocates also emphasized that the consequences of weakened voting protections extend into everyday life.

Local elected offices such as school boards, city councils, county commissions, and judgeships often determine funding priorities, public safety policy, education standards, and infrastructure investments.

“These are not abstract numbers,” Badat said. “These have real political consequences and policy consequences on people’s day-to-day lives.”

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Rest in Peace: A.M.E. Pastor and L.A Civil Rights Icon Cecil “Chip” Murray Passes

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94. “Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).

Published

6 months ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94.

“Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).

Murray oversaw the growth of FAME’s congregation from 250 members to 18,000.

“My heart is with the First AME congregation and community today as we reflect on a legacy that changed this city forever,” Bass continued.

Murray served as Senior Minister at FAME, the oldest Black congregation in the city, for 27 years. During that time, various dignitaries visited and he built strong relationships with political and civic leaders in the city and across the state, as well as a number of Hollywood figures. Several national political leaders also visited with Murray and his congregation at FAME, including Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Murray, a Florida native and U.S. Air Force vet, attended Florida A&M University, where he majored in history, worked on the school newspaper and pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He later attended Claremont School of Theology in Los Angeles County, where he earned his doctorate in Divinity.

Murray is survived by his son Drew. His wife Bernadine, who was a committed member of the A.M.E. church and the daughter of his childhood pastor, died in 2013.

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Court Throws Out Law That Allowed Californians to Build Duplexes, Triplexes and RDUs on Their Properties

Charter cities in California won a lawsuit last week against the state that declared Senate Bill (SB) 9, a pro-housing bill, unconstitutional. Passed in 2021, SB 9 is also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). That law permits up to four residential units — counting individual units of duplexes, triplexes and residential dwelling units (RDUs) – to be built on properties in neighborhoods that were previously zoned for only single-family homes.

Published

6 months ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

Charter cities in California won a lawsuit last week against the state that declared Senate Bill (SB) 9, a pro-housing bill, unconstitutional.

Passed in 2021, SB 9 is also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). That law permits up to four residential units — counting individual units of duplexes, triplexes and residential dwelling units (RDUs) – to be built on properties in neighborhoods that were previously zoned for only single-family homes.

A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the cities, pointing out that SB 9 discredited charter cities that were granted jurisdiction to create new governance systems and enact policy reforms. The court ruling affects 121 charter cities that have local constitutions.

Attorney Pam Lee represented five Southern California cities in the lawsuit against the state and Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“This is a monumental victory for all charter cities in California,” Lee said.

However, general law cities are excluded from the court ruling as state housing laws still apply in residential areas.

Attorney General Bonta and his team are working to review the decision and consider all options that will protect SB 9 as a state law. Bonta said the law has helped provide affordable housing for residents in California.

“Our statewide housing shortage and affordability crisis requires collaboration, innovation, and a good faith effort by local governments to increase the housing supply,” Bonta said.

“SB9 is an important tool in this effort, and we’re going to make sure homeowners have the opportunity to utilize it,” he said.

Charter cities remain adamant that the state should refrain from making land-use decisions on their behalf. In the lawsuit, city representatives argued that SB 9 eliminates local authority to create single-family zoning districts and approve housing developments.