CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

98

Introduced by Senator Cortese

(Coauthors: Senators Strickland and Umberg)

April 28, 2026

Relative to Black April Memorial Month.

WHEREAS, April 30, 2026, marks the 51st year since the Fall of Saigon, on April 30, 1975, to communism; and

WHEREAS, For many Vietnam and Vietnam-era veterans who were directly involved in the war and Vietnamese Americans who have settled in the United States, the fall of Saigon was a tragedy full of great suffering and loss of American, Vietnamese, and Southeast Asian lives; and

WHEREAS, The combined United States and South Vietnamese fatalities during the Vietnam War reached more than 300,000 service members, with approximately 1,000,000 additional troops being wounded in combat. Millions of Vietnamese civilians suffered casualties and death as a result of the extended conflict; and

WHEREAS, During the Fall of Saigon, millions of Vietnamese people and their families, including, but not limited to, former military personnel, government officials, and people who had worked for the United States during the war, fled Vietnam to surrounding areas and the United States; and

WHEREAS, In the late 1970s to mid-1980s, an estimated 500,000 Vietnamese people risked their lives by fleeing Vietnam aboard small boats in a mass exodus. These emigrants reached refugee camps in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, while approximately one-half of the people fleeing Vietnam in search of freedom and democracy perished at sea; and

WHEREAS, While the fall of Saigon is marked as a tragedy for not only Vietnam and Vietnam-era veterans who were directly involved in the war, it is one full of great suffering and loss for Vietnamese civilians and Vietnamese Americans who crossed the sea to find this land of freedom as their safe haven. These Vietnamese American refugees soon became a part of, and continue to contribute to, our American diversified culture and economy today. According to the 2020 United States Census, more than 811,048 Vietnamese people live in California, with the largest concentration of Vietnamese people found outside of Vietnam residing in the Counties of Orange and Santa Clara; and

WHEREAS, Human rights, religious freedom, democracy, and protection against threats of aggression are important concerns of Vietnamese Americans and Vietnamese communities worldwide as a result of human rights abuses that continue to occur in multiple sectors of Vietnam, including, among others, child labor, human trafficking, religious and political persecution, suppression of the press, unlawful deprivation of life, forced disappearances, and land seizure; and

WHEREAS, We must teach our children and future generations important lessons from the Vietnam War and the continuing situation in Vietnam, including how the plight of the Vietnamese refugees following the end of the war serves as a powerful example of the values of freedom and democracy; and

WHEREAS, We, the people of California, should actively rededicate ourselves to the principles of human rights, individual freedom, sovereignty, and equal protection under the laws of a just and democratic world. Californians should set aside moments of time every year on April 30 to give remembrance to the soldiers, medical personnel, and civilians who died during the Vietnam War in pursuit of freedom and democracy; and

WHEREAS, In commemoration of Black April, we would like to take a moment of silence for the veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States and the Republic of Vietnam and the soldiers of the Armed Forces of the United States and Republic of Vietnam who died during the Vietnam War. With this moment of silence, we remember the countless innocent lives affected by the war and the people who continue to live with their traumatic experiences and who developed resilience to overcome extreme challenges. We respect and honor the Vietnamese American community in California that has grown steadily, greatly contributing to our society in every way; and

WHEREAS, Vietnamese American communities throughout California commemorate April 30, 2026, as Black April, a day of remembrance and rededication to the principles of freedom, including freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and internet freedom; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That in recognition of the great tragedy and suffering and lives lost during the fall of Saigon, the month of April 2026 shall be proclaimed Black April Memorial Month, which is a special time for Californians to remember the hundreds of thousands of lives lost during the Vietnam War era and hope for more justice and liberty for the people of Vietnam; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.