Senator Thomas J. Umberg Calls for Commemoration of Black April on the Floor of the State Senate
SACRAMENTO – (Sacramento) – Today, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D – Santa Ana) addressed the California State Senate with a call to commemorate Black April. “Black April” is the term used to refer to the April 30 anniversary of the fall of Saigon, in 1975. Senator Umberg spoke to honor those that lost their lives in the Vietnam War; including American, South Vietnamese, allied veterans of the war, and the refugees that fled towards American shores in search of freedom.
“I ask the people of the State of California to join me in recognizing Black April as a dark moment in time for the Vietnamese people’s historic struggle for freedom and human rights. Let this observance serve as a remembrance of not only tragic loss, but also a celebration of the Vietnamese people’s resilience and strength to prosper in the face of adversity. This is a time to recall the sacrifices of those that came before us as they searched for liberty and a better life on American shores,” said Umberg. “It is most important that we recall and tell the stories of sacrifice and courage, not for just Vietnamese Americans, but for all Americans, so that they know these stories, and they know that history can repeat itself… and we hope that it never does.”
“Recently I attended, and was privileged to participate in a commemoration of the “boat people,” and I heard these stories of those who fled, and the pirates that preyed upon them, and the atrocities that occurred just 44 years ago.”
Earlier this year, Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D – Santa Ana) authored Senate Concurrent Resolution 7 (SCR 7) to proclaim the month of April as Black April Memorial Month; a special time for Californians to remember the countless lives lost during the Vietnam War era, and to hope for more justice and liberty for the people of Vietnam. The Vietnam War 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 the Vietnamese civilians and the Vietnamese Americans who crossed sea to find this land of freedom as their safe haven. These Vietnamese American refugees had soon become a part of and continue to contribute to our American diversified culture and economy today. According to the United States Census 2010, more than 465,000 Vietnamese live in California, with the largest concentration of Vietnamese found outside of Vietnam residing in Orange County and Santa Clara County.
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Senator Thomas Umberg represents the 34th Senate District 34, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Orange, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, and Westminster. Umberg is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, former federal prosecutor, and small businessman. He and his wife, Brigadier General Robin Umberg, USA (ret.), live in Orange County.