Much of the day-to-day citizen work in our city remains under the radar. That’s why we’ve launched Citizen Spotlight. We want to know what makes people’s inner civic clock tick. Thoai Nguyen is our latest choice for the spotlight. He’s the executive director of the Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition, or SEAMAAC.

It’s Our City: You’ve been a longtime community organizer in Philadelphia. How did you get involved in this profession, and what keeps you committed?

Thoai Nguyen

Thoai Nguyen: I’ve been organizing in Philadelphia since 1991 after college and grad school, but was politically active since my senior year of High School. I was politicized by a teacher at South Philadelphia High School.  When I was first exposed to the analysis of race and class inequities in our country, I understood immediately that social, political and economic injustice was all around me and that I could not stand on the sideline or escape just by leaving my working-class neighborhood.  What keeps me committed and motivated is never allowing my cynicism to get the better of me and the belief that our collective actions, no matter how small, may be the spark that changes our country to a more just society.

It’s Our City: During this presidential election season, Barack Obama’s opponents took some shots at him for having been a community organizer. Did you personally take offense to those comments?
Thoai Nguyen: I wasn’t really bothered by those comments. It just exposed the fears, ignorance and elitism of Barack’s opponents. The result of the election speaks very loudly as to how few people really agreed with Obama’s detractors.

It’s Our City: Tell us about Philadelphia’s Southeast Asian community. What’s it like?
Thoai Nguyen: Despite the poverty and hardships of racism and neglect that this community faces, it’s a beautiful and vibrant community, and not merely a collection of disparate ethnic tribes.  There are very few places in the world where so many Southeast Asian ethnicities can coexist and thrive together – in spite of the century-old ethnic conflicts that have kept us apart from each other.

It’s Our City: How large is the community estimated to be?
Thoai Nguyen: The 2000 US census has the Southeast Asian population at 47,000, but SEAMAAC estimates that there is no less than 60,000 Southeast Asians living in Philadelphia County.

It’s Our City: Is there a place in the city considered to be the hub for the Southeast Asian community?
Thoai Nguyen: According to city’s statistics, the largest percentage of Southeast Asians reside in South Philadelphia.  I would have to guess that the south 7th Street area (Washington to Oregon Avenues) is the hub for this community.

Explain if the community has changed since you first arrived here from Vietnam in 1975.
Thoai Nguyen: When my family first came in 1975, the South 7th street area was a fairly thriving market place.  The recession in the late 70’s changed all of that and forced many of these businesses to close down or relocate to different areas of the city. This coincided with the different waves of incoming refugees from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.  Many resettlement agencies saw these empty storefronts as opportunities for affordable housing for the newly arrived refugees. We’ve come almost full circle now, where there was once a thriving (mostly Jewish owned) business corridor has given way to the Southeast Asian business and residential community.  It’s the story of America.

It’s Our City: What are some of the major issues that your organization deals with on a daily basis regarding our city’s Southeast Asian Community?
Thoai Nguyen: SEAMAAC deals with very basic lack of services to the Southeast Asian community. Whether it’s because of language or cultural barriers, many Southeast Asian residents are unable to access services that they are entitled to as citizens/residents of Philadelphia. Moreover, the model minority myth, the idea that all Asians can succeed no matter what the obstacles may be, perpetuate the misperception that Asians do not need support from the city, state or federal government. It’s a real challenge to convince the city and local foundations that the statistics they see for Asian Pacific Islander communities do not reflect the reality for Southeast Asians in the city, and that they would need linguistically and culturally appropriate services to truly address the needs of the Southeast Asian community.

It’s Our City: What can the city do to improve the quality of life for the Southeast Asian community?
Thoai Nguyen: Stop thinking of the Asian community as one monolithic and homogenous entity and acknowledge the complexity and diversity within the community. Invest in better studies and analysis for the Southeast Asian communities. Bring on people with real expertise and understanding of this community’s needs and make a strong commitment to layers of services that would include language and cultural support.

Please email us at city@whyy.org if you’d like to nominate someone for Citizen Spotlight.