Vietnamese refugee Thu Nguyen makes history as first nonbinary city council member in Massachusetts

Vietnamese refugee Thu Nguyen makes history as first nonbinary city council member in Massachusetts
Jiselle Lee
November 4, 2021
Thu Nguyen has become the first nonbinary Worcester City Council member in Massachusetts.
LGBTQ+ representation: Asian Americans have made history across the nation on local election day on Tuesday. Nguyen made history for the LGBTQ+ community as well.
View post on X
About Nguyen: The political newcomer grew up in poverty in Worcester, and they have spent their career giving back to the community.
  • Nguyen, a Vietnamese refugee, sought asylum with their family in Worcester at age 1.
  • Their father fought in the Vietnam War and was a prisoner for seven years.
  • They attended Worcester public schools and graduated from Clark University with a bachelor’s of arts in studio art and sociology.
  • Nguyen launched a program to help students get into college at Claremont Academy.
  • They co-founded an organization that showed young people how to use art to tell their stories.
  • Over the last decade, Nguyen facilitated after-school programs at the Worcester Youth Center to hire young people to work for Recreation Worcester at local parks and schools across the city.
  • Nguyen works at the Southeast Asian Coalition, an organization that supports small businesses, promoting civic engagement and strengthening communities.
  • Nguyen helped build Mutual Aid Worcester, which raised nearly $75,000 to support families in Worcester and started an immigrant and refugee pantry, and hot meals program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Featured image from Thu Nguyen
Share this Article
NextShark.com
© 2024 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.