Lecture by Dr. Jennifer Huynh

The Asian American Studies Program (AAS) proudly presents the third  speaker in our Spring 2026 Lecture Series: Dr. Jennifer Huynh, Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Lecture Abstract: Suburban inequality and anti-immigrant violence are rising; in the past 25 years, more than 10,000 Vietnamese have received deportation orders. This talk focuses on Orange County’s Little Saigon and asks, How do suburban communities like Little Saigon resist displacement pressures? How do refugees enact placemaking and fight for immigrant justice in the suburbs? Highlighting the stories of everyday residents, this talk shares the stories of Vietnamese refugees and their children who are making a significant impact in their communities. The discussion will focus on Huynh’s new book Suburban Refugees: Class and Resistance in Little Saigon (University of California Press, 2025), and mutual aid for deported Vietnamese Americans through the Ba Lo Project.

About the Lecturer: Jennifer Huynh is a sociologist and an assistant professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame. She is the author of Suburban Refugees: Class and Resistance in Little Saigon (University of California Press, 2025) which examines housing insecurity, deportation, and inequality in Southern California's Little Saigon. She co-founded the Ba Lo Project which supports Vietnamese deportees, and received a university award for her human rights and social justice work. Huynh grew up in Orange County’s Little Saigon and is a first generation college student.