When Vanndearlyn Vong was thinking of creative ways to raise funds for the Long Beach South East Asian Anti-Deportation Collective (LBSEA), one image was strong in her mind: a donut.
Donut shops have long been known as an industry Cambodian immigrants flourished in after fleeing the horrors of the Khmer Rouge. According to a 1995 report by the New York Times, 80% of donut shops in California at the time were Cambodian-owned.
Last year, Vong started fundraising by selling donut-shaped magnets before learning how to throw clay and evolving to glazed donut pipes of various colors.
“It helped get me grounded,” Vong said. “I really enjoyed my time every time I got to work with the clay. And at the time, I was working part-time and in school virtually full-time. So I was just so excited to literally just touch the clay after a lot of screen time these past couple of years.”
Vong launched the Instagram page @vanndearlynscreations in July 2021, a year after joining LBSEA. 40% of the proceeds from her ceramic products benefit LBSEA in their fight against the deportation of Southeast Asians.
Vong, who is Cambodian, shared that Cambodian and other Southeast Asian communities are often left out of conversations surrounding immigration and deportation.
“We are very much not represented at all, like as Cambodians and Southeast Asian people in general, our stories are not even known and we still face the model minority myth,” Vong said.
Vong explained that many youth from Southeast Asian refugee communities faced violence when they first arrived in the United States and joined gangs for protection, committing crimes that would get them arrested and eventually deported after finishing their sentence.
LBSEA has been outspoken against the controversial immigration practice in which the U.S. deports immigrants after they conclude jail or prison sentences. Immigrant rights groups, including LBSEA, have decried the practice, saying it punishes immigrants more than citizens for the same crimes.
“A lot of people have completely taken responsibility for their actions, served their time, and really put forth efforts to turn their life around through various programs and even doing work in the community,” Vong said.
Vong pointed to Rot Mythong as an example, a Cambodian resident of Long Beach who was imprisoned for 29 years after fatally shooting a man as a teenager. He was granted parole in February 2020 but was immediately transferred into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
According to a petition by Vong, while incarcerated Mythong participated in Alcoholics Anonymous, anger management classes, substance abuse prevention classes, Buddhist meditation groups, an alternative violence program, Criminal and Gang Anonymous, Prisoners Against Child Abuse and the New Life Canine Dog Program.
After a campaign by LBSEA, Mythong was released on bond from ICE custody September 2020.
LBSEA supports the Voiding Inequality and Seeking Inclusion for Our Immigrant Neighbors (VISION) Act, Assembly Bill 937, would entitle immigrants to the same rules of release and parole as citizens, keeping them from being transferred to ICE after being granted parole or release from California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“It’s a tough fight,” Vong said.
Besides donut pipes, Vong also creates mangosteen-shaped planters and ashtrays, plates, ornaments and more.
Vong plans to take a trip to Lowell, Massachusetts in July to learn from Yari Livan, one of three surviving Cambodian ceramics masters.
“I’m just very excited to learn more about the clay and my own cultural roots and hopefully share that with the community,” Vong said.
To purchase a donut pipe or other ceramic item from Vong, send a direct message on Instagram @vanndearlynscreations.
