Live from the Gulf: Government Obstacles Stall Farm Project for Local Vietnamese
Rob Bluey /
NEW ORLEANS — Every day at 9 a.m. the Mary Queen of Vietnam community center opens its doors to distribute 25 food vouchers. Several weeks ago people started lining up at 5 a.m. Now the line forms at 2 a.m.
This is not the life these proud fishermen envisioned when they settled in eastern New Orleans from Vietnam, but it is reality in the aftermath of the oil spill in the Gulf. Asian-Americans constitute about one-third of all commercial fishermen in the region. Today, many endure the long wait outside the center just to put food on the table for their families. Many more leave empty-handed.
Not all hands are idle. Some are working on the cleanup. But in the past three months, more than 800 have turned to the Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corp. for assistance.