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.

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.