John was an emcee, poet, breakdancer, and activist from Uptown, Chicago. Born to a Vietnamese mother and Vietnam War veteran father, his art was an embodiment of a soul coming to terms with his Hapa identity and place within a community that is torn apart by the struggle. He participated in the Kuumba Lynx program and competed in Louder Than A Bomb honing his poetry and spoken word skills. As a student at Lane Tech and a leading member of the Multi-Cultural Youth Project he came into his own as an emcee, and as a well-rounded hip-hop artist. Many of our members were friends of John during his time at these community organizations.
John Vietnam was about to start his sophomore year in the 5th Cohort of the First Wave program when he passed away while saving a friend from drowning.
Voices in Endless Time
You cant blame the seed for what the forest taught em. R.I.P. my friend. August 30, 2015 Marisa Sarto’s Photo Blog Cookie – by Nakila Robinson Uploaded on Dec 4, 2009 A poem in memory of Cookie… A Day in the Life — by John Vietnam Uploaded on Nov 21, 2010 This is John ‘Vietnam’…