The 50th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon on April 30,1975 - Ginette Thomas

My presentation: 

Hearts of Freedom: The Canadian Southeast Asian Refugee Historical Research Project

at Carleton University

I've been working on this research team that conducted 173 video-recorded interviews with former refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia who escaped and resettled in Canada, as well as with Canadians involved in the selection and resettlement. The team has produced a 40-minute film, is finalizing the publication of a book, and is completing high school educational materials. What I learned from this research is the magnitude of the impact that these refugees made in Canada, arriving at a time when many Canadians knew very little about Southeast Asia. But individual Canadians responded warmly by uniting and coming together to help the refugees , and many faith and community organizations became highly nvolved by sharing their resources to support this humanitarian cause.