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Poetry: Fong first started writing poetry through the June Jordan’s “Poetry of the People” class in the UC Berkeley African American Studies Department. Influenced by his activism, Fong's writing aids in amplifying frequently silenced voices and is deeply entrenched in the values of social justice and intersections of community struggle. Fong has been a featured poet for the Mahogany open mic series, Luna poetry series, and the DVAN National Poetry Festival. He's shared stages with amazing speakers such as Actor/Activist George Takei, HBO Def Jam Poet Bao Phi, Writer Andrew Lam, NBC Correspondent Sahra Nguyen, and Slam Champion G Yamazawa. An enthusiastic orator, Fong has served as the keynote speaker for TEDx, UC Irvine’s 1st Southeast Asian Graduation, Gaby Grant Foundation Convening, California Council of Cultural Centers in Higher Education (CACCCHE) and Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA). His work has been featured on Upworthy, TED, Angry Asian Man, Adbusters, Kollaboration, UC Davis Magazine, CultureStrike and more. Having performed at venues across the United States, & internationally in Manila, Philippines, Fong dreams of bringing his art to any community that will have him.

 

“Fong Tran is a Sacramento community organizer & youth advocate by day, Spoken Word Artist & Social Butterfly by night.”

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COMMUNITY:  Fong earned his master’s degree in Community Development from UC Davis, with his research focusing on the experiences of youth of color with social media. He has a bachelor's degree in Social Welfare and a double minor in Education and Public Policy from UC Berkeley. Fong is a higher education professional and previously served as the Director of Student Activities and Campus Life at the College of Alameda and the Program Coordinator at the UC Davis Cross Cultural Center. Fong also has a strong nonprofit background and served as a chair member of the Sacramento APIA CAPITAL Coalition (Council of Asian Pacific Islanders Together for Advocacy and Leadership) and the South Sacramento Building Healthy Communities (BHC) Boys and Men of Color (BMoC) Initiative.

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Fong is very passionate about teaching, training and professional development and has hosted several interactive workshops on topics such as social justice, poetry as a tool of empowerment, ally leadership, toxic masculinity among men of color, youth and social media, cultural identity/ intersectionality and other many other leadership development topics.


STORY: He was raised by a single mother in a Vietnamese family of five, fleeing from the aftermath and resettlement of the Vietnam War. He's a proud product of South Sacramento but grew up under welfare and food stamps which didn't allow him to thrive as a youth. Therefore, he relentlessly seeks to support young in accessing higher education and community based organizations. He has been a dedicated youth advocate in Sacramento for over 10 years focusing on college/employment access, identity development and cultural healing/empowerment through a social justice and intersectional lens.

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BIO

POET || SPEAKER || EDUCATOR

FONG TRAN

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