North Texas is closing out a month of celebrations in May for Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The latest census data shows almost 600,000 people who identify as Asian American and Pacific Islander who live in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. That number has grown tremendously over the last decade.
Zooming on that population across the metroplex, there are numerous Asian American enclaves that have a created a community for different cultures. Some of the neighborhoods center around Asian grocery shopping centers or community facilities, which have created a space for many different communities to thrive.
As the population has grown in DFW, these enclaves have evolved over the decades.
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Those who helped establish some of the oldest AAPI neighborhoods say these areas flourished because the cities they were in and the organizations they were connected to embraced this diversity.
In Garland – which has a large Vietnamese-American population – many figures have helped turn this community into a home away from home. Shopping centers focusing on Asian cuisine, Vietnamese Buddhist temples, and grocery stores serving AAPI families of all backgrounds now dot the city's landscape.
This is the Garland that Jennifer Nguyen has always dreamed of.
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“My promise to my homeland is that I will raise my four kids to the best of my ability, to make them proud for their heritage,” said Nguyen, who is a member of the Garland Multicultural Commission.
Her journey to North Texas began in 1975 when she fled her native Vietnam with just the clothes on her back and her four children. The oldest was only 6-years old.
“No identification, no money, no loved ones around me,” she said.
Jennifer was one of dozens of South Vietnamese military families who escaped the Fall of Saigon by plane.
Facing prison or worse, her husband, Tom, fled on his own military jet and reunited with Jennifer and the kids in Guam before finding a sponsor family in Arizona.
“Thank you to the American citizens that took us in, give us food, feed our children, and provide a roof over our head in 1975,” said Nguyen.
After settling in America, Tom and Jennifer were able to find work. Tom ended up getting a job transfer to Garland in 1985, which brought them to Texas for the first time.
Back then, the Vietnamese community in DFW was small. Jennifer said there was no established cultural hub to help her family connect.
“So they would meet maybe at someone's house or maybe in the garage to get together but we don't have a home yet,” she said.
That’s why in 1999, the Nguyens started their own Vietnamese-American Activities Center.
To this day, it still serves as a hub for Vietnamese American families to host celebrations, health fairs, educational events, and even to vote in Dallas County elections in their own language. Jennifer said it has also served as a meeting place for seniors and families to connect, play games, or watch movies in Vietnamese.
Over the years, Asian-owned businesses continued to grow around it. Eventually, Cali Saigon Mall – a shopping center wrapped around a grocery store – moved in next door, further building up the area as a cultural hub.
“Seeing Garland actually grow, we say Jennifer built everything on her own," said Mike Huynh, a manager at Cali Saigon Mall.
The center helped families like Hung Tran – who immigrated to Garland with his family as a child in 2000 – feel more at home.
“We didn't have someone that kind of brought everybody together, you know? And I think she laid the groundwork here,” said Tran of the Nguyen’s and the work to bring families together. “When you look back and you see how much change has come, I'm really impressed. And I think Garland now has become a leader in diversity.”
Tran decided to stay in Garland as an adult and is now a local business owner.
“It feels enriching to live here. We’re really proud to call it home," he said.
Other figures have paved the way for the garland we know today, like Thai Loc, who has published Người Việt Dallas Fort Worth -- the main Vietnamese-language newspaper for DFW over the last 30 years.
Loc writes both local and national news entirely in Vietnamese to serve the tens of thousands of Vietnamese speaking residents of DFW.
At 80, he’s the publisher, the editor, and the reporter, with no plans of slowing down.
Then there’s Saksith Kalayaboon, who immigrated to Garland from Thailand decades ago. Inspired by his daughter, he’s now the director the Miss Asia America International Pageant, which provides scholarships and educational opportunities for Asian American girls in North Texas.
“As Asian-Americans growing up, we didn’t have that much opportunity to showcase or do something like this,” he said.
Recently, Jennifer worked with the commission, the city, and countless organizations to host the second annual Asian Heritage Festival at Winters Park.
Jennifer none of these programs would be possible without the support of the city of Garland.
“We are so proud of our heritage. This is the time to share with the community at large. They don't know us –but it's our responsibility to bring our heritage and culture through dances and music," she said. "Even though we dress different, we are one of you and we want to share that in Garland and North Texas.”
Garland mayor Scott LeMay said he’s proud of the people who helped Garland make a name for itself in diversity.
“I have lived here a long time and I can tell you, over the years, Garland has become one of the most diverse cities in the metroplex," he said. “We certainly talk about diversity here but at the same time, we live it.”
Mayor LeMay said in Garland ISD, well over 150 languages are spoken. The city now translate all city materials into Spanish and Vietnamese because in an effort to reach out to those communities.
That’s why the city created the Community Multicultural Commission to help meet the needs of various international communities.
“We developed that commission several years ago, as we were noticing the population was changing and that certain groups were not being represented," said Mayor LeMay.
Naturally, Jennifer and Tom were among the founding commissioners.
“They do awesome work in the community, they reach out – they are at these events, they bridge those distances and help bring us all together,” said Mayor LeMay.
Jennifer – now in her 70s – hopes to pass the torch on to the next generation to ensure Garland remains a beacon of support for all Asian Americans across North Texas.
“My dream is that one day these little five, seven years old's you see at the festival, that they carry on our mission and keep on bringing nothing but the best to the American dream and be proud of where you come from,” she said.
UPCOMING DATES
There are more AAPI events planned in the Garland area this summer.
On Saturday June 22, celebrate the rich tapestry of diversity and culture at the 5th Annual DFW Asian American Soccer Tournament in Garland, hosted by Vietnam United FC. Witness the passion for soccer as 36 teams from 14 states and Canada compete in this thrilling showcase of talent and unity.
Find more information, click here.
Additionally, The Orchid Giving Circle, a nonprofit supporting the Asian-American community in North Texas through grants and community events. The group is partnering with the Communities Foundation of Texas for the first time and a new grant application portal is now open for those interested. For more information, email grant@orchidgivingcircle.org.
