Keiko's New Life

Scene 2: A New Friendship

The assassination of Robert Kennedy left Keiko traumatized. Keiko left his job as the manager of the Ambassador hotel restaurant. In August of 1968, he moved to Berkeley to attend UC Berkeley to study Sociology. He joined Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), an anti-war movement that organized rallies to express opposition of the war in Vietnam. The small group of individuals rejected authority and participated in drug culture. The anti-war movement in California was particularly sparked after waves of shock hit the U.S. following the launch of the Tet offensive by the North Vietnamese communist troops in January 1968 and its success against U.S. and South Vietnamese troops. Keiko did not believe that the U.S. troops were helping out, but rather, as being the cause of further damage. He was not the only one who felt this way. Anti-war sentiments continued to grow exponentially during this time of year.  In early 1968, a poll showed that 50% of the participants disapproved of the war. Thirty-five percent approved of Johnson’s war procedure, while the remaining did not have an opinion ("Vietnam War Protests", 2010).
 
After the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, which ended the Vietnam war, a large population of Vietnamese immigrants came to the United States. More than 30% of them were in the medical field or had technical managerial careers, about 17% worked in transportation, and approximately 12% had jobs in clerical and sales industry in Vietnam (Do, 1999, p. 29). In 1975 Keiko held a doctoral degree in Sociology, and worked as a Sociology professor at UC Berkeley. In the Fall of 1975, he met Tran Nguyen, a Communications student from Vietnam who was one of the 125,000 Vietnamese immigrants from Spring 1975.

Tran and Keiko developed a special friendship. Keiko defended Tran against the resentment of some Americans towards Vietnamese immigrants. One day as Tran and Keiko walked around the campus, a group of male students pushed Tran to the ground.

“Go back to your country. You’re not welcomed here, boat person!” said one student.
 
Keiko helped Tran back to his feet. “Stop it. Leave him alone” said Keiko.
 
“What are you? His boyfriend?” the bully asked. They laughed and walked away.
 
The incident exemplified the resentment by some Americans towards the Vietnamese following the turmoil and upheaval of Vietnam. A poll in 1975 showed only 36% of Americans were in favor of Vietnamese immigration. Regardless of this number, the U.S. Government expressed their support for Vietnamese immigration. President Gerald Ford and Congress passed the Indo-China Migration and Refugee Assistance Act in 1975 which allowed Vietnamese refugees to enter the U.S. under special status. The Vietnamese also had $405 million allocated for them towards resettlement aid (Dr. Daly Lecture, December 2, 2015).
 
The incident that happened that day also brought up a conversation that Keiko and Tran had been wanting to have. The two of them have been developing feelings for each other. When the bully asked if Keiko was Tran’s boyfriend, he took the opportunity to speak about it one Sunday evening. “I would like for you me to become your boyfriend” Keiko told Tran.  Tran was pleased by Keiko's confession. The two of them officially became a couple. 
 

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