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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1976)
t Portland Observer Vietnamese mother seeks child’s return by Itaxa Guataitia SAN FRANCISCO. (PNS) Hao Thi Vo searched for months through bureau critic mazes before she learned that her three year old son was in the rare of one of the "orphan Baby lift" agencies. But when at last she found him, she was told she could not have him: He might be better off with his new American "pa rents." Vo is one of more than a dozen refugees in this country known to be seeking return of children shipped here in the panic of the last days of the war. She is one of several who must fare court action if she expects to be permitted a reunion. Like many other Vietnamese mothers with half American children, Vo feared for the lives of her three sons when the Saigon regime was collapsing and sent them to the U .S. for their safety. Through a friend, she said, she met an American named Dick who agreed to lake her oldest sons, Vo Huy Khanh, seven, and Vo Anh Tuan, five, if she signed a release for them. She did. A neighbor bound for the U.S. agreed to take Vo Huy Tung, then two, as her own son, under an assumed name. For him Vo signed nothing, she said. Vo herself managed to fly out shortly thereafter. From Travis Air Force Base she called Bill Popp, a Flying Tiger pilot she'd met in Saigon. He had offered to help if she managed to get to this country. Popp derided to sponsor Vo, her twenty year old sister, a cousin and the cousin's six year old. All came to live in his home near Los Angeles, found jobs and, together, put a down payment on a house. (In Saigon, Popp said, Vo had been head of household for an extended family of thirteen.) With Popp's help, Vo sought her sons. After many expensive long distance phone calls, Popp said, they learned through the International Bed Cross where the two oldest boys were and discovered that the youngest was with Friends of Children of Vietnam. The neighbor who had brought him, Vo said, had given him to the agency, expecting that he'd be cared for until his mother could claim him. But the agency, armed with a release paper Vo never signed, had placed the youngster in a home for adoption. A Letter And A Viaii Through FCVN, a letter arrived for Vo from "Bob and Joan." who had had her child for ten months. It told Vo that her son was not Vo Huy Tung now but Bruce Donovan, that he loved going fishing with his "daddy." that his good behavior "still gives us great pride," that "he can count to nine, he knows all the basic colors." "We think you should see Bruce," the couple wrote. “That way we both could see his feelings. If by chance he does not remember you, we think it would do him great harm to leave us. We can't help but feel that he would think we had rejected him. Then, on the other hand, if he did remember you. we feel it would be wrong for us to keep him from you even though it would hurt greatly." Vo flew to Denver and was taken to a room where five strange adults fared her, with her child. After a few minutes in a highly tense situation, the authorities now in charge of the boy decided he did not recognize his mother. "They don't give him to me," Vo said in an interview. "I ask, give me a chance to see the boy. A few minutes. To play with him. They say, maybe the kid get hurt. I say, I don't hurt the boy." She was not permitted to hold him, she said. "They say. he has good home now, good mother, good father. I have good home, g<Mxl mother. Not father, I say that I don’t have," Vo said. "They say. birth mother mean nothing." “I ask, 'When they tell the boy that he has a mother?' They didn't answer." Vo said she was shown a paper saying the boy was declared an orphan April 16th. She said she then showed the FCVN officials a photograph of her holding her son April 19th. Vo left alone, with the advice that she seek a lawyer if she wanted to fight for her son. Agency Policy FCVN officials refused to comment on Vo's case. In explaining the agency's general policy, case work supervisor Marcia Schocket quoted from a book she goes by, in which the authors maintain that "It's the psychological parent, not the biological parent" who is important to the child. "If there’s no recollection," she said, "there can't be a continuance of the same relationship. There could only be a new relationship. It was obvious after fifteen minutes to half an hour in two rases that the biological parent was just another person in the room to the child." Agency procedure requires, she said, that when a biological mother seeks a child's return, a social worker be sent to "assess her financial situation, living situation." This information is given to the adoptive family who may then opt to return the child. If not, a court may have to settle the issue. "We feel confident we're observing sound social work practice," Schocket said. Asked if the authors of the books she goes by considered cross-cultural adoption, she said "not really," but indicated that was not a currently rele vant factor. Ethnic Identity Among those who think the issue of culture is highly relevant is Dr. Joseph John Westermeyer, a psychiatrist whose experience with Indian children reared in white homes taught him to expect great turmoil for them not in the early years, but later in adolescence, "when society denies them the social and ethnic identity to which they have successfully adapted.” As teenagers, he explained, they are punished or sought out because they are Indians. Yet they tend to identify as white. Similar experience is reported by Joyce Ladner, a sociologist, in her study of trans racial adoptions. Both Westermeyer and Ladner urge that the Vietnamese children be reunited with their families whenever possible, or at least be placed in other Vietnamese homes. They have submitted affidavits to District Court here, where a suit in behalf of Vietnamese children has been dragging on for many months. Tip Of The Iceberg? Tom Miller, an attorney for the child ren in that suit, says an unknown number of Vietnamese refugee families are in Vo's position. The dozen or so who have made themselves known to him and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is backing the suit, may be only the tip of an iceberg, he said. At the State Department, Frank Sie verts, deputy coordinator for humani tarian affairs, disagreed. He said the vast majority of the children brought here as orphans are, in fact, orphans. One refugee woman who searched for her son here managed to get him back after a court fight that cost $4,500. Few refugees can afford such sums. A few older children were returned to natural parents voluntarily by adoptive parents who were moved by the child ren's joy at seeing their families again. Vo now hopes that the man named Dick in Massachusetts, who has her oldest boys, will permit her to see them and that they, being old enough, can settle with her. She is preparing for a court battle to reclaim her youngest. “There aren't many villians in this story," commented Popp, who was echo ed by others representing conflicting points of view. It comes down to a choice based on a value judgement: Who is entitled to judge the children's best interests? As long as that question goes un settled, these children and their families will remain victims in the last battle of the war that everyone wants to forget. Black voters to the polls this year. The drive will continue through May 2nd with rallies as well as canvassing. Kick off for the canvassers will be at Irving Park, N.E. 7th and Fremont at 10:00 a.m. Canvassers will attempt to rover ten precincts in the northeast area. Canvassing will continue on Sunday, April 25th through Sunday, May 2nd. Mayor, Ivancie Canvassing during the week will take place in the evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Sites of the registration tables are: Alberton's, 909 N. Killingsworth; Trade- well's, N.E. 15 and Fremont; Neighbor hood Bill's, W illiams Avenue; Dairy Queen, Union and Lombard; More For Less, Fremont and Williams Avenue; Geneva's. Williams Avenue; McDonalds. Union Avenue; all Fred Meyer stores; Rub A Dub Car Wash, Union and Wielder; Meier and Frank, Lloyd Center and three banks in the northeast area on Friday, April 30th from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.: U.S. National Bank, Union and Killings worth; First National. Killingsworth and the American State Bank, Union Avenue. The voter registration drive has been endorsed by many of the various Black organizations, including the NAACP, the N.E. Coalition and the Black Justice Committee. Chairmen of the Albina Voter Regi stration Drive are George Rankins and James Loving. On Tuesday, April 27th at 8:30 p.m. KBOO will air a special program on slain leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Remembrance and rededication of the life and work of the man assassinated light years ago. Norman Soloman presents recorded excerpts from his speeches, music of the civil rights movement as well as informa tion and commentary on struggles in 1976 and beyond. The show is entitled: Martin Luther King His undying visions, our unfinished tasks..... CATALOG OVERSTOCK SALE Wards Bargain Centers SPRING CLEAN UP Save 14% - 93% HURRICANE LAMP GROUP 19 JL Help him cure Chronic Spenditis Your fellow Portlanders of the Ivancie for Mayor Committee 4225 N E Sandy Blvd Portland. Michael White freas paid for this message QUARTZ DIGITAL WATCH SPECIAL 2897 lam p REG. 31.99 46.99, 21” . . . . 66.99,26” . . . . S to ria r to illuatratMMi REG. 39.99 29.97 39.97 Shows hours, minutes and seconds. No springs, never needs winding. 2 replacea ble energy cells, (in cluded) . M etal case w ith adjustable link band. Hand-blown and deco- rated glass, raised gold- tone design. 3-way light- 3 colors. SAVE 50% DOUBLE-BUCKLE SANDALS REG. 8.97 Leather-look uppers, w ith natural wood bot toms. nailhead trim ! 5- 10. Med. width. MATCHING BATH SET 97 J 9 7 7 “COVERALL” CARRY-ALL TOTES B righ t bandana prints, w ith nappy corduroy; brass buckles, suspender strap and patch pockets. Lined. HAMPER I 97 A E REG. 36.99, 4-PC. LUGGAGE SET-CHOICE OF COLORS The United Negro College Fund Ore gon Campaign offices are now located in the Urban League of Portland Suite of the Community Services Building. 718 W. Burnside Street. Portland. The an nouncement of these new arrangements was made by James Brooks, Executive Director of the Urban League and Ernest Hartzog and Willie Mae Hart, volunteer leaders of the United Negro College Fund Oregon Campaign. Sharing of office space by the Urban League and UNCF in Portland follows a precedent set in New York City where the headquarters of the two agencies occupy a new building that is owned jointly. UNCF experienced its best year ever when in 1975 $12.1 million and $9,829 were realized nationally and in Oregon respectively. Both figures are all time highs. Dr. Hartzog and Mrs. Hart cite the expanding UNCF campaigning efforts as prompting the office relocation at this time and express pleasure at the in creased visibility UNCF will enjoy at the Community S ervices Building. The UNCF offices are staffed on a part time basis by Richard J. McRostie, Assistant National Development Director, and by Mrs. Rosemary McGowan, Secretary. Information on the United Negro College Fund may be obtained by calling 223 8890 during normal working hours. 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Albina voter registration drive begins This Saturday, April 24th, the Albina community will be the site of an all out vote registration drive. Registration tables will be set up at various locations throughout the community and canvass ers will be going door to door encourag ing persons to register and vote. The voter registration drive is an effort by the Committee for Albina Voter Registration to get Portland's eligible Thursday. April 22, 1976 249.97 •9-’17 OFF! ’18-*26 ASSORTED FORMALS Selected group; asstd. sizes 8.91 •69 OFF! 499.95, 21CU. FT. REFRIGERATOR Top freezer compartment 429.97 •8-'13 OFF! 9.97-'14, DRESSES Women’s sizes-100% polyester...................... ’69 OFF! 169.95, HEAT MASSAGE RECLINER Buttoned vin y l u p h o ls te ry.............. 99.97 3.57 OFF! 6.98, LITTLE GIRLS’ DRESSES •119 OFF! FULL SIZE MATTRESS SET Firm m a ttr e s s ............................................. 99.97 •219 OFF! 469.95, 7-FT. SOFA 249.97 Wood trim back; Herculon cover . •199 OFF! 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