Letter from the New Executive Director — My story and My Why
Thank you for continuing to inspire me.
Dear friends,
As Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta’s new Executive Director, I want to send you a “hello” and share a little bit about myself and my hope for our work together. I’m a second generation Vietnamese American and the daughter of refugees. My parents fled Vietnam in 1978 to escape war and political persecution and planted roots in Augusta, Georgia.
Georgia is my home. It’s where my parents were able to buy a house and plant a garden filled with things they love: Vietnamese mint, Thai basil, and jujubes. It is where my four sisters and I grew up, attended public schools, and earned college degrees with the help of HOPE scholarship. It’s where a new generation–my two nephews–were born and are being raised. It is where I began my law career 12 years ago. It’s also where the legacy of our civil rights leaders planted seeds for justice and equity in me as a young child.
And it’s where I eventually found my political home and learned how to fully own my Asian American identity, at Advancing Justice-Atlanta.
I grew up thinking that my family’s migration story was a story about grit, resilience, and the kindness of strangers. What I didn’t realize was that most Americans wanted to close the borders to Southeast Asian refugees like my parents–in the same way that, over 35 years later, our state is still attempting to exclude other immigrants and refugees. In 2015, I was helping resettle a Syrian family in Clarkston at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis when Governor Deal tried to ban Syrian refugees from Georgia. It became clear that those with political power get to decide who belongs. That’s when I realized that my path forward was to build power within our communities, which began my journey at Advancing Justice-Atlanta.
I started out in 2016 as a volunteer, helping to register voters at Hong Kong Supermarket one Saturday afternoon. Then I received a small grant to launch Vietnamese Voices, a grassroots campaign to turn out the Vietnamese vote in the 2016 presidential election. We registered 600 new Vietnamese voters in four months. But I knew I wanted to do more. So in 2017, I joined Advancing Justice-Atlanta as its first Litigation Director and have spent the last four years fighting to advance voting rights and protect immigrants under the courageous leadership of Stephanie Cho.
Image description: collage of photos taken at various times showing Phi in action. Starting from the left, Phi and immigrant rights advocates in front of the Richard B. Russell Federal Building after a press conference, Phi holding a sign that reads "Asian American Power" in front of the Georgia Capitol building, Phi at a press conference after filing a nationwide class action lawsuit against ICE to challenge the detention of Vietnamese refugees, Phi at the Georgia State capital at a #StopAsianHate rally, and Phi and group of volunteers at a voter registration drive.
As I begin the newest leg of my journey with Advancing Justice-Atlanta, I know that our fierce and determined team will continue to rise to meet each moment. Together, we will continue our legacy of building AAPI political power in Georgia, and I commit to trying my best to lead with love and joy. I hope that you’ll join me in continuing to build a Georgia and a South where we, and all communities of color, are fully empowered and in control of our own destinies. The future, and a better South, are ours to build.
In community,
Phi Nguyen
Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta
