Los Angeles County leaders recently declared April 30 as “Jane Fonda Day” to honor the actress for her advocacy for social justice and environmental sustainability, but the decision was met with immediate backlash.
Politicians and members of the Vietnamese American community quickly criticized the date chosen to honor Ms. Fonda, as it coincides with “Black April,” a day of significance in the Vietnamese community marking the fall of Saigon.
Ms. Fonda is well-known for her outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War during the 1970s. She traveled to communist North Vietnam and had photos taken with North Vietnamese Army soldiers.
In response to the outcry, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors is now planning to move Jane Fonda Day to an earlier date in April.
Phat Bui, chairman of the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California, expressed his shock upon learning that Jane Fonda Day and Black April would share the same date.
“She may be a very strong activist for climate change, but besides that, we also view her as being a person who was very cruel to the rights of the South Vietnamese people during the antiwar protests,” Mr. Bui told the Los Angeles Times.
On April 30, 1975, Saigon—now Ho Chi Minh City—fell to communist forces, marking the end of the Vietnam War. Nearly 50 years later, the day continues to be observed by those who fled Vietnam or whose family members did.
In Little Saigon, Orange County, one of the largest Vietnamese communities outside of Vietnam, residents gather annually on April 30 for a commemorative ceremony featuring prayers and traditional songs.
Republican state Sen. Janet Nguyen, whose district includes Little Saigon, said dedicating the day to Ms. Fonda was “alarming and profoundly disrespectful to over half a million Vietnamese Americans in California.”
Other lawmakers echoed that sentiment, including Republican Rep. Michelle Steel, who called the decision “unconscionable.”
“To elevate ‘Hanoi Jane’ over the Vietnamese Community, Americans who sacrificed their lives, and the loved ones they lost to communism, is deeply offensive to the freedom-loving Vietnamese Americans who bear such tragic and painful memories of the Vietnam War,” Mr. Steel said in a statement, using a nickname for the actress employed after her protest of the war.
• Staff can be reached at 202-636-3000.