(uplifting music) (pensive music) - Welcome to "The Newsfeed."

I'm Paris Jackson.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

The Cascade PBS docuseries, "Origins: Refuge After War," originally published in 2023, examined the parallels between the aftermath of the fall of Saigon and what was happening in Afghanistan as America withdrew its military from there in 2021.

I sat down with Director Thanh Tan who says it's important to never forget what happened.

I wanna read something to you that you wrote, and it's an excerpt reflecting on your docuseries, "Refuge After War," as well as the 50 years since the fall of Saigon, and get your reaction on the backend.

You said this.

"I found myself navigating the complex emotions that come with excavating communal trauma.

I wasn't just documenting history, I was processing my own inheritance as a child of Vietnamese boat people.

What I couldn't have anticipated then was how quickly the small flames of hope we kindled would face new winds of resistance."

What were you getting at there?

- At the time that I directed "Refuge After War" in 2023, we were really celebrating the fact that private citizens, for the first time in decades, had stepped up and had shown that it's possible for communities to be part of the welcoming effort.

And unfortunately, in the first few weeks of the Trump Administration coming into power, everything that we had thought that we worked for was more or less halted.

So refugee admissions halted, funding to refugee resettlement agencies also halted, and that's very concerning to me because the US is no longer a refuge after war for people who are in serious need of fleeing violence and conflict.

- One thing that will take place soon is the re-airing of your series, "Refuge After War."

Why is it important for people to see what you put together?

- Each one of us in our community can play a role in welcoming refugees who are seeking safety, who are seeking nothing more than an opportunity to get a fresh start, and to contribute and live a dignified life.

But I also hope that people will watch the series and will actually learn from history.

None of this is new.

We don't have to repeat mistakes of the past.

We can take a look at how communities have responded to crisis before, and we can actually learn from that.

- Tell us about the new exhibit that you curated at Friends of Little Saigon.

- People are gonna see something that was actually somewhat inspired by the series.

In episode two, we told the story of the 18th Division, which was the last division in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam or South Vietnam, to try to stand, and fight, and defend Saigon before its fall.

So this exhibit is going to future portraits that are taken by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, Marcus Yam.

The two of us went to some of these reunions among these Division 18 or 18th Division veterans.

We wanted to document these gentlemen in their full uniform.

So many of them still identify with their lives as soldiers, and they had so many wonderful stories to share, so much wisdom, so much life they have lived, and I think these portraits really capture that.

- The exhibit "We Were Soldiers, Too" runs now through early June.

"Refuge After War" re-airs on Saturday, April 26th, at 7:00 PM on Cascade PBS.

(pensive music) Congratulations are in order here at Cascade PBS.

Our organization has received 13 2024 Northwest Regional Emmy Award nominations from NATAS.

One of the coveted nominations included Overall Excellence for Cascade PBS.

The winners will be announced at the Northwest Chapter NATAS Emmy Awards Gala Event on June 7th.

I'm Paris Jackson, thank you for watching "The Newsfeed," your destination for nonprofit Northwest news.

Go to cascadepbs.org for more great local coverage.

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