Madison Nguyen
Encyclopedia
Madison Phuong Nguyen is an American
politician
from California
. She has served on the San Jose, California
, City Council since September 2005, representing District 7; she was the first Vietnamese American
elected to the council.
to fisherman father Nho and his wife Dang, Nguyen and her family fled Vietnam by boat
when she was only four; they were initially resettled in a refugee camp in the Philippines
until a Lutheran
family in Scottsdale
, Arizona
, sponsored them to migrate there in the 1980s. Her father worked as a janitor, receiving a wage of only $
10/hour to support his wife and nine children. Eventually, he moved his family to Modesto
, California
, in search of higher wages picking fruit in the Central Valley; Madison worked in the fields alongside her father as a teenager. She is one of eight siblings.
Nguyen has said she was more outspoken than most girls in her culture, and that her Asian American
peers often derisively referred to her as a "banana", yellow on the outside but white on the inside. She naturalized as a U.S. citizen
around age 18, choosing the name "Madison". In various sources, she has stated that she chose it either due to former president James Madison
or Daryl Hannah
's character in the movie Splash
; she felt it reflected her desire to be perceived as sophisticated. She went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Santa Cruz
and her Masters Degree in Social Science from the University of Chicago
. She returned to California in 2000 to pursue a Ph.D. in sociology at U.C. Santa Cruz.
's "Rock the Vote
" campaign, she and a colleague organized a voter drive in which 5,500 Vietnamese Americans registered to vote for the first time. She followed that up with a run for a position on the Franklin-McKinley School District
Board of Education, hoping that her election would help to reduce the suspicion that the Vietnamese American community often demonstrated towards politics. Her win made her one of the first two school board officials of Vietnamese descent in the entire United States
; the other, elected around the same time, was Lan Nguyen of Garden Grove
, a city in southern California
's Orange County
. However, it was Nguyen's organization of protests in support of Bich Cau Thi Tran, a Vietnamese woman shot to death by San Jose police, which brought her to the forefront of people's minds in the Vietnamese American community. Nguyen, who felt the incident was being ignored by the public and the media, organized a rally to which 250 people showed up. At the time, she denied having any larger political aspirations, instead emphasizing that she eventually aimed to become a professor at an area university.
is a common name used for various other Vietnamese-American communities and is often used as a sign of defiance towards the current government of Vietnam. Nguyen opted to use "Saigon Business District" because of the political implications of the name "Little Saigon". Supporters of the Little Saigon name denounced Nguyen as a traitor to the community, and also attacked a lone counter-protester outside of City Hall that night, who was holding a sign asking them to "Please stop offending our Vietnamese tradition, culture and ethics" and accused them of singling out Nguyen unfairly for her lack of support. Mayor Chuck Reed
stated that supporters of the Little Saigon name "are the most vocal, but may not be the majority"; fellow council member Judy Chirco
went farther in her criticisms, complaining after the January 8 meeting and vote on the issue that "I have heard more disrespect tonight than I ever thought I would hear from the Vietnamese community". Both refused to retract their statements when pressed.
Backlash against Nguyen continued to grow throughout January; she was disinvited from the city's annual Tết
parade, organized by political opponent Linda Nguyen. Activist Ly Tong
even started a hunger strike out of anger at the "Saigon Business District" name, which lasted from February 15 to mid-March. However, support for the "Little Saigon" name was not unanimous; on February 12, 350 local Vietnamese American residents, prominent businesspeople and anti-communists among them, also issued a statement emphasizing that the "Little Saigon" supporters did not represent them. That same day, Nguyen and Reed proposed putting the issue to a public referendum, in an effort to mollify critics; however, this proposal was withdrawn ten days later due to the estimated cost of $2.7 million and the fear that the vote would prove even more divisive to the community. A March 2 protest against the "Saigon Business District" name drew 2,500 people; they accused Nguyen of having conspired with real estate developer Lap Tang to fight the name "Little Saigon" and instead use a name proposed by Tang, "Vietnam Town Business District."
On March 4, the city council voted to rescind the "Saigon Business District" name, but stopped short of renaming it "Little Saigon"; instead, they proposed setting up a process by which business owners could choose district names. However, anger against Nguyen remained; on April 22, the issue was reopened with the submission of recall papers against Nguyen by the Recall Madison Nguyen committee. On October 9, the petition qualified for the March 3, 2009 ballot, having garnered more than 150% of the needed valid signatures. On March 3, 2009, voters rejected the recall attempt with a 55-45% vote.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She has served on the San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, City Council since September 2005, representing District 7; she was the first Vietnamese American
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
elected to the council.
Early life
Born in VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
to fisherman father Nho and his wife Dang, Nguyen and her family fled Vietnam by boat
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
when she was only four; they were initially resettled in a refugee camp in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
until a Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
family in Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, sponsored them to migrate there in the 1980s. Her father worked as a janitor, receiving a wage of only $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10/hour to support his wife and nine children. Eventually, he moved his family to Modesto
Modesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in search of higher wages picking fruit in the Central Valley; Madison worked in the fields alongside her father as a teenager. She is one of eight siblings.
Nguyen has said she was more outspoken than most girls in her culture, and that her Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
peers often derisively referred to her as a "banana", yellow on the outside but white on the inside. She naturalized as a U.S. citizen
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
around age 18, choosing the name "Madison". In various sources, she has stated that she chose it either due to former president James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
or Daryl Hannah
Daryl Hannah
Daryl Christine Hannah is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and Kill Bill.-Early life:Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan...
's character in the movie Splash
Splash (film)
Splash is a 1984 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Ron Howard and written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The original music score was composed by Lee Holdridge...
; she felt it reflected her desire to be perceived as sophisticated. She went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
and her Masters Degree in Social Science from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. She returned to California in 2000 to pursue a Ph.D. in sociology at U.C. Santa Cruz.
School board
Nguyen began to become more involved in politics in 2001, while working as a sociology instructor at De Anza Community College; inspired by MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's "Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization in the United States of America whose mission is to engage and build the political power of young people....
" campaign, she and a colleague organized a voter drive in which 5,500 Vietnamese Americans registered to vote for the first time. She followed that up with a run for a position on the Franklin-McKinley School District
Franklin-McKinley School District
The Franklin-McKinley School District operates 14 elementary schools and two junior high schools in San Jose, California, USA. The district has 505 teachers serving 9953 students.School Facts...
Board of Education, hoping that her election would help to reduce the suspicion that the Vietnamese American community often demonstrated towards politics. Her win made her one of the first two school board officials of Vietnamese descent in the entire United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; the other, elected around the same time, was Lan Nguyen of Garden Grove
Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...
, a city in southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
's Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
. However, it was Nguyen's organization of protests in support of Bich Cau Thi Tran, a Vietnamese woman shot to death by San Jose police, which brought her to the forefront of people's minds in the Vietnamese American community. Nguyen, who felt the incident was being ignored by the public and the media, organized a rally to which 250 people showed up. At the time, she denied having any larger political aspirations, instead emphasizing that she eventually aimed to become a professor at an area university.
City Council
Nguyen would eventually turn the recognition she received from the Tran shooting into further political success in September 2005, when she ran in the election for the San Jose City Council in a special election to replace Terry Gregory as Councilperson for District 7. Vietnamese Americans, who formed less than 10% of San Jose's population at the time, turned out in record numbers during the primary election in June to support Madison Nguyen and co-ethnic Linda Nguyen, pushing them ahead of seven other candidates. Madison Nguyen won 44% of the primary vote, while Linda Nguyen, a real estate attorney, received 27%. In the end, Madison Nguyen received 62% of the votes cast, beating out Linda Nguyen to become the first Vietnamese American to serve on the San Jose City Council.District naming controversy and recall attempt
Nguyen's support from the Vietnamese American community suffered a sharp reversal in early January 2008, in a controversy over whether a San Jose neighborhood with a preponderance of Vietnamese-owned businesses should be renamed as "Little Saigon" or "Saigon Business District". Little SaigonLittle Saigon
Little Saigon is a name given to any of several overseas Vietnamese immigrant and descendant communities outside Vietnam, usually in the United States...
is a common name used for various other Vietnamese-American communities and is often used as a sign of defiance towards the current government of Vietnam. Nguyen opted to use "Saigon Business District" because of the political implications of the name "Little Saigon". Supporters of the Little Saigon name denounced Nguyen as a traitor to the community, and also attacked a lone counter-protester outside of City Hall that night, who was holding a sign asking them to "Please stop offending our Vietnamese tradition, culture and ethics" and accused them of singling out Nguyen unfairly for her lack of support. Mayor Chuck Reed
Chuck Reed
Charles Rufus "Chuck" Reed is the current Mayor of San Jose, California.-Biography:Reed was born in Garden City, Kansas. Reed's high school basketball team became Kansas State Champions despite being from a very small, rural school. He joined the United States Air Force in 1970 after attending the...
stated that supporters of the Little Saigon name "are the most vocal, but may not be the majority"; fellow council member Judy Chirco
Judy Chirco
Judy Chirco is an American politician from California, currently serving on the San Jose, California City Council, representing District 9. She was recently named Vice Mayor by the San Jose City Council to replace David Cortese.-External links:*...
went farther in her criticisms, complaining after the January 8 meeting and vote on the issue that "I have heard more disrespect tonight than I ever thought I would hear from the Vietnamese community". Both refused to retract their statements when pressed.
Backlash against Nguyen continued to grow throughout January; she was disinvited from the city's annual Tết
Tet
Tet can mean:*Tết or Tết Nguyên Đán, the Vietnamese new year**Tet Offensive, a military campaign that began in 1968*Têt in Roussillon, France*Equal temperament, abbreviated as 12-TET, 19-TET and so on...
parade, organized by political opponent Linda Nguyen. Activist Ly Tong
Ly Tong
Lý Tống is a Vietnamese American anti-communist activist.-Early life:In 1965, at the age of 19, he served in the Republic of Vietnam Air Force...
even started a hunger strike out of anger at the "Saigon Business District" name, which lasted from February 15 to mid-March. However, support for the "Little Saigon" name was not unanimous; on February 12, 350 local Vietnamese American residents, prominent businesspeople and anti-communists among them, also issued a statement emphasizing that the "Little Saigon" supporters did not represent them. That same day, Nguyen and Reed proposed putting the issue to a public referendum, in an effort to mollify critics; however, this proposal was withdrawn ten days later due to the estimated cost of $2.7 million and the fear that the vote would prove even more divisive to the community. A March 2 protest against the "Saigon Business District" name drew 2,500 people; they accused Nguyen of having conspired with real estate developer Lap Tang to fight the name "Little Saigon" and instead use a name proposed by Tang, "Vietnam Town Business District."
On March 4, the city council voted to rescind the "Saigon Business District" name, but stopped short of renaming it "Little Saigon"; instead, they proposed setting up a process by which business owners could choose district names. However, anger against Nguyen remained; on April 22, the issue was reopened with the submission of recall papers against Nguyen by the Recall Madison Nguyen committee. On October 9, the petition qualified for the March 3, 2009 ballot, having garnered more than 150% of the needed valid signatures. On March 3, 2009, voters rejected the recall attempt with a 55-45% vote.
External links
- Campaign homepage
- District 7 on the San Jose city government website
- What's Happening in San Jose Vietnamese Community from the Vietnamese American Council; contains several news stories on Madison Nguyen
- This American Life - Episode 381: Turncoat Act one is about Madison Nguyen and the district naming controversy