Wayne W. Huang

Brian Doan, 40, was born August 22nd 1968 towards the end of the Tet Offensive in the Central Vietnam city of Quang Ngai. The Tet Offensive was a turning point in Vietnamese history as it marked the end of the Vietnam War and the beginning of what would be a new kind of struggle for an entire generation of war-weary South Vietnamese refugees. Doan and his family remained in Vietnam while his father suffered through ten brutal years in a Communist reeducation camp. Their struggle was one of trying to cope with living under a regime that regarded them as second-class citizens.

In the district of Praça Onze, around the corner from Rua Marquês de Sapucaí where the world-famous Rio Carnaval makes its annual procession, the presence of Crescer e Viver, or “Living and Growing,” is unmistakable with its prominent blue-and-white striped circus tent. It is fenced off in an almost sanctifying gesture from its surroundings of a weed-ridden, empty tarmac lot dotted with a few cars and backed by a panorama-spanning view of Rio de Janeiro’s equally famous favelas (slums). Across from the lot, the newly built Praça Onze metro station stands in stark contrast to the old, crackling buildings – a sign of progress in this decaying part of Rio de Janeiro.

I spent seven days of immersion in Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda, California, a predominantly African-American church, observing and learning the character of a tradition.

A new generation of Tibetan youths in exile has emerged and are willingly continuing on the struggle for a free Tibet. However, as they become increasingly immersed in the culture of their host country, the struggle to maintain their ethnic identity becomes another challenge Tibetans-in-exile face as a whole. Tibetans in Southern California are confronting this issue and have been making an effort to ensure the survival of their ancient culture and traditions.

When Tsering Dolma first arrived in New York City in 2004, she barely spoke a word of English. She came only with a determination to survive and support her family still living in the Tibetan refugee villages of India. This is the story of the struggles and hopes of a Tibetan-in-exile.