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Orange County recognizes 'Black April' and honors Vietnamese‑American community
Summary
The board adopted a ceremonial recognition of April as Black April Memorial Month, with Supervisor Janet Nguyen recounting her family's refugee experience and multiple Vietnamese veterans and community leaders invited to the dais.
Orange County supervisors opened their meeting with a ceremonial recognition of Black April Memorial Month, marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. Supervisor Janet Nguyen (First District), a Vietnamese refugee who said her family fled by boat after the fall of Saigon, read a resolution remembering lives lost and honoring veterans and refugees.
Nguyen named more than a dozen community leaders and veterans’ organizations invited to the dais and framed the observance as a time to reflect on the sacrifices made by both Vietnamese and American veterans. She cited casualty figures and said the month ensures future generations remember the costs of lost freedoms. Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento (Second District) and other board members expressed gratitude for the Vietnamese‑American community’s contributions to Orange County and acknowledged Little Saigon’s role as a cultural and commercial center.
The recognition was largely ceremonial and intended to honor community history, signal the county’s gratitude to veterans and refugees, and reinforce ties between the board and Vietnamese‑American civic organizations. Several public speakers who later addressed a separate agenda item thanked the board for the resolution.
The board moved on to other agenda items after the presentation.
