On May 20, 1975, the first 34 war refugees from Southeast Asia arrived at Gate B5 in Seattle’s Sea-Tac airport, the first of tens of thousands that have made the Evergreen State their home since.
Fifty years later–to the day–former refugees, their descendants, state officials and supporters gathered once again to mark this milestone anniversary. Beginning early in the day, a small gathering at Sea-Tac included Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, State Representative My-Linh Thai, Port of Seattle President Toshiko Hasegawa, Dan Evans Jr. and Evans Nguyen, (both namesakes of the late Governor), to share their thoughts on the occasion.
At 3pm more than 100 honored guests convened at the State Capitol Building in Olympia to continue the commemoration. State Archivist Heather Hirotaka introduced speakers including Deputy Governor Denny Heck, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins. Key representatives from Vietnamese, Lao and Khmer organizations each shared their reflections on the moment.
“I was one of the first 34 families that came up to Washington,” said Evans Nguyen, whose family became lifelong friends with Governor Dan Evans and wife Nancy. “We sadly lost … Dan Evans and Ralph Munro. It’s been a rough year. They had the courage to do what was right …that was really what it boiled down to. You just believed it was the right thing to do. I hope we haven’t seen the last good people like them in the government.”
Speakers included Savong Lam, cofounder and Vice President of Khmer Language Arts & Culture Academy, and Kayla Somvilay, founder and executive director of the Lao Community Service Center in Renton, Washington.
Savong also read a statement by Many Uch, a Khmer activist working against unjust deportations. “As someone … who once had a final deportation order to Cambodia only to be saved by a governor’s pardon and eventually became a U.S. citizen, I carry deep understanding of both the pain and the power that live within our communities,” wrote Uch. “If we don’t fight for each other, if don’t take this crisis seriously, we risk losing the very fabric of our community. I believe in our community that organizes, that protects, that loves, that resists. The same community that saved me, still has the power to save us all.”
Visibly moved, Speaker Jinkins shared her belief that “We owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Southeast Asian American communities who have helped through language, faith, intellectualism, education, art, nourishment, public service, and advocacy, all of these things. Washington is stronger, is more vibrant, just because of you.”
A reception in Secretary Hobbs’ office followed the event, where copies of Legacy Washington’s new book, New Land: Southeast Asian Refugees Finding Home in Washington were available. The book, edited by historians John C Hughes and Edward Echtle, includes 15 Chapters based on more than 20 oral histories from across Washington State. Interviewees include a Hmong flower grower in Pike Place Market, Veterans of the Lao military now living and working on Willapa Harbor, a Catholic Priest who escaped Saigon at the last moments and now builds ties between the two countries, and an Amerasian who has worked to “give back” by helping others still in Vietnam to come to the United States.
“Its chapters are only a sampling of the thousands of stories waiting to be told—needing to be told,” writes Secretary Hobbs in New Land’s forward. “Happily, Southeast Asian communities around the state are striving to preserve and share the experiences of their refugee elders, as well as second- and third-generation Washingtonians. Generations not yet born need to know who paved the way.”
Links
“New Land” Book: https://www2.sos.wa.gov/legacy/stories/new-land/
Photos (Public Domain) – Washington State Archives: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wastatearchives/albums/72177720326333674
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wastatearchives/albums/72177720326283381/
Video and Transcript via TVW: https://tvw.org/video/secretary-of-state-legacy-wa-new-land-book-launch-ceremony-2025051148/?eventID=2025051148
