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Người VN đầu tiên đắc cử dân biểu liên bang Hoa Kỳ

Luật sư Joseph Cao Quang Ánh, 40 tuổi, đảng Cộng Hoà, đã đắc cử dân biểu tại đơn vị 2, tiểu bang Louisiana hôm 6 tháng 12 vừa qua, thắng đương kiêm dân biểu William Jefferson (Dân chủ), người đã giữ ghế này trong suốt 9 nhiệm kỳ.

Ông Cao Quang Ánh được 49.6% tổng số phiếu, trong khi ông Jefferson được 46.8%. Dưới đây là hồ sơ cá nhân của tân dân biểu họ Cao.

Attorney and East New Orleans activist Anh "Joseph" Quang Cao, 40, announces his candidacy for House of Representatives, District 103, saying he will work to promote Category 5 Hurricane Protection, strong anti-crime initiatives and environmentally- sound growth policies as leader for this area which crosses Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes.

Mr. Cao, who was recently nominated by New Orleans Councilwoman Cynthia Willard to be the interim replacement for the vacant At-Large Council position, is best known for his leadership in fighting illegal dumping of storm debris in District 103. When elected, he will become the first Vietnamese American to serve in the Louisiana Legislature.

PERSONAL HISTORY
• A law degree from Loyola University
• A former Jesuit seminarian
• A Vietnamese refugee
• A small business owner
• Fluent in English, Vietnamese and Spanish
• Married, two daughters
• Member, Mary Queen of Vietnam Church
• Registered as an Independent

In May of 2000, he obtained his Juris Doctor from Loyola and began his legal career as an associate at the Waltzer Law Firm. He left Waltzer & Associates to become in-house counsel for Boat People SOS, a civil rights organization for Vietnamese refugees, and opened a New Orleans office to assist poor minorities on social and legal issues, initiating programs to help victims of torture, and to promote social and cultural integration.

A MAN OF ACTION
• Opened local Boat People SOS Office to help local refugees
• Has worked at local, state and national level to ensure equal rights of legal minorities in U.S.
• A former secondary school teacher
• A former university professor
• Appointed by the Archbishop of New Orleans to U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops National Advisory Council
Six years ago, Anh married Hieu Hoang at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church in New Orleans East, and subsequently had two daughters: Sophia and Betsy. He opened his private law practice in 2002, which he continues to operate to the present day. In 2002, he was also selected by Archbishop Alfred Hughes of the Archdioceses of New Orleans to be a member of the National Advisory Council ("NAC") to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wherein he is a leader in helping the Catholic Church address many issues.

A KATRINA SURVIVOR
• Has helped restore energy and telecommunications service to District 103 in timely fashion
• Rebuilt his home and law practice from scratch
• Helped protect District 103 neighborhoods from illegal and hazardous dumping of Katrina debris
• An involved volunteer in rebuilding greater New Orleans
On August 28, 2007, he and his family fled from their home in Venetian Isles located in New Orleans East to Panama City, Florida, as Hurricane Katrina was bearing down in New Orleans. Anh, his wife and two daughters spent three days in Florida watching news coverage of the devastation caused by the hurricane and wondering whether their house in Venetian Isles survived. When he and his wife finally returned to the area, everything he possessed was destroyed, including his home and his law offices. But he was determined to return and rebuild. His office would take three months to repair, and his home a year and a half.

Like the many people of Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes who were ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, Anh has endured countless struggles against insurance companies and the political leadership to protect his home and community. He assisted the residents in New Orleans East in their successful fight against a landfill that threatened to change the social fabric of their community. He fought energy and telecommunication companies to have basic necessities restored in a timely fashion. He has suffered the pain caused by Katrina, experienced the struggles of the rebuilding process, and shares the hopes and desires of the people.
His is a life of determination to not give in to adversity and to always seek social improvement and justice.