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LA County Moves 'Jane Fonda Day' On The Calendar After Vietnam War Controversy
Assemblymember Tri Ta was one of several California lawmakers of Vietnamese descent who protested Los Angeles County's designation of Jane Fonda Day.
(
Rahul Lal
/
CalMatters
)
Topline:
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday changed the date of "Jane Fonda Day" to April 8 after getting pushback from anti-Communist Vietnamese immigrants. The original date of April 30 coincided with the anniversary of the fall of Saigon — which felt like salt in the wound of refugees who haven't forgiven Fonda for her opposition to the Vietnam War.
The backstory: Earlier this month, the board chose April 30 to honor the actor during Earth Month for her environmental activism and other contributions. That date is also referred to as "Black April" within the Vietnamese American community, marking the 1975 fall of Saigon in southern Vietnam to the North Vietnamese Communists — and the end of the Vietnam War.
The backlash: Supervisors said the choice of April 30 was not intentional. But picking that date to recognize Fonda, who actively opposed the war and took an infamous photo in North Vietnam, angered her critics. Vietnamese American state legislators Sen. Janet Nguyen and Assemblymember Tri Ta, both Republicans, led the charge to rescind the honor.
The compromise: Supervisors wanted to recognize Fonda with a date during Earth Month and chose April 8 instead. The vote at Tuesday's meeting was unanimous with Supervisor Kathryn Barger abstaining. Vietnamese Americans who testified at the meeting, including council members from Westminster, part of Little Saigon, expressed gratitude to the board for responding to their concerns.
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