Advertisement

Vietnamese groups furious over ‘Jane Fonda Day’ in L.A. County

A woman dressed in white with a white hat and black band
Jane Fonda speaks at an event in downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Park in September 2022.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Share via

Citing her advocacy for social justice and environmental sustainability, Los Angeles County leaders last month declared April 30 as “Jane Fonda Day.”

The backlash was immediate.

Within days, politicians and members of the Vietnamese American community sharply criticized the decision to honor the actress on the date known in the Vietnamese community as “Black April” in commemoration of the fall of Saigon. Fonda famously made headlines in the 1970 with her staunch opposition to the Vietnam War.

“She may be a very strong activist for climate change, but besides that, we also view her as being a person who was very cruel to the rights of the South Vietnamese people during the antiwar protests,” said Phat Bui, a Garden Grove resident and chairman of the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California.

Advertisement

The outcry has now spurred plans by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to move Jane Fonda Day to earlier in April.

Young Vietnamese Americans learning the lessons of Black April

April 29, 2013

Bui told The Times that he was shocked when he learned that Jane Fonda Day and Black April would share the same date. On April 30, 1975, the South Vietnamese stronghold of Saigon — now known as Ho Chi Minh City — fell to communist forces. It marked the end of the Vietnam War.

Nearly 50 years later, the day is still observed by those who fled Vietnam or whose family members did. In Orange County’s Little Saigon, home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside Vietnam, residents gather each year on April 30 to hold a ceremony with prayers and traditional songs in remembrance of the day.

Advertisement

State Sen. Janet Nguyen, a Republican whose district includes Little Saigon, wrote in a letter to the Board of Supervisors that dedicating that particular day to Fonda was “alarming and profoundly disrespectful to over half a million Vietnamese Americans in California.”

Other lawmakers also wrote letters opposing the dedication. Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Seal Beach) called the decision “unconscionable” and urged the board to rescind the honor.

“To elevate Hanoi Jane over the Vietnamese Community, Americans who sacrificed their lives, and the loved ones they lost to communism, is deeply offensive to the freedom-loving Vietnamese Americans who bear such tragic and painful memories of the Vietnam War,” Steel said in a statement, using a pejorative nickname for Fonda that circulated following her protest of the war.

Advertisement

Los Angeles County leaders showed disregard for Vietnamese Americans by choosing the fall of Saigon anniversary to honor the actress who infamously visited Hanoi.

May 9, 2024

Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey Horvath said the board would consider a motion at its May 21 meeting to move Jane Fonda Day to April 8 and emphasize its connection to Earth Month. The decision, she wrote in a statement Friday, was made “out of respect for the community voices who have spoken up.”

“The April 30 date was a function of our board schedule and was unintentional,” Constance Farrell, a spokesperson for Horvath, told The Times on Tuesday.

L.A. County’s decision to honor Fonda stems from her contributions to entertainment, environmental sustainability, gender equality and social justice, Horvath said. The supervisor presented Fonda with a certificate during the board’s April 30 meeting.

“This is so beautiful,” Fonda said at the time. “ I am so honored and grateful.”

In a speech accepting the honor, Fonda shared memories of spending time outside in Los Angeles as a child and her love of nature. It’s that background that informed her advocacy for environmental protection measures including Senate Bill 1137, a state law banning new oil and gas drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, schools and parks, which will appear on the November ballot, she said.

”When you go into the ballot box, have climate in your heart,” Fonda said. “Most Americans are very concerned about what is happening, but they don’t necessarily bring it into the voting booth with them. This is an existential year. How we vote from the top — from the president of the United States all the way down-ballot — is going to really matter for whether young people have a future, a livable future.”

Ex-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and actor Jane Fonda joined Gov. Gavin Newsom and environmentalists calling to uphold the state’s oil drilling restrictions.

March 22, 2024

Although the Academy Award-winning actress has been lauded for her climate work, Fonda was sharply criticized after she went to Hanoi during the Vietnam War to oppose U.S. involvement in the conflict. During a visit in 1972, she was photographed wearing a helmet and sitting in the gunner’s seat of a North Vietnamese antiaircraft gun.

Advertisement

Fonda told Barbara Walters during an interview in 1988 that sitting on the gun was “a thoughtless and careless thing to have done.” She apologized to Vietnam War veterans and their families at the time.

“My intentions were never to hurt them or make their situation worse. It was [to] the contrary. I was trying to help end the killing and the war, but there were times when I was thoughtless and careless about it,” she said at the time.

Representatives for Fonda did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.

Despite the apologies, some still feel betrayed by Fonda’s actions.

Bui, on behalf of the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California, penned a letter to the Board of Supervisors on May 1 urging the selection of a different date to honor Fonda.

April 30 holds deep personal meaning to Bui and his family. In 1954, his parents and five siblings escaped communist North Vietnam to seek refuge in South Vietnam. A day after the fall of Saigon, Bui, who was 17 at the time, fled with his family by boat to America and eventually settled in Minnesota. Many others who tried to escape died on their journeys.

Advertisement

“Perhaps the board did not realize,” Bui wrote in the letter, “that such a date can inflict so much pain to our community and to the Vietnam War veterans.”

Advertisement
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com