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Amanda Nguyen

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Amanda Nguyen
Born (1991-10-10) October 10, 1991 (age 33)
California, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Occupation(s)Founder and CEO of Rise[1]
Known forSexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act
AwardsTime Woman of the Year (2022)[2]
24th Annual Heinz Awards in Public Policy (2019)[3]
Forbes 30 Under 30[4]

Amanda Ngoc Nguyễn[5] (born October 10, 1991)[6][7] is a social entrepreneur, civil rights activist, and the chief executive officer and founder of Rise, a non-governmental civil rights organization.[6] Nguyen drafted the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act, a bill that passed unanimously through the United States Congress.[8][9][10] Nguyen has also been credited with kickstarting the movement to stop violence against Asian Americans after her video calling for media coverage went viral on February 5, 2021.[11][12] In 2024, Blue Origin announced Nguyen will become the first Vietnamese woman to fly to space.[13][14][15][16]

In recognition of her work, Nguyen was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize[17] and was named one of the 2022 Time Women of the Year.[2] She has also received the 24th Annual Heinz Award in Public Policy,[3] Time 100 Next,[18] Forbes 30 Under 30,[4] and was credited as a Top 100 Global Thinker by Foreign Policy.[19] Furthermore, Nguyen is featured in the 2022 anthology We Are Here: 30 Inspiring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Have Shaped the United States by Naomi Hirahara and published by the Smithsonian Institution and Running Press Kids.[20]

Education and career

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Nguyen earned a Bachelor of Arts at Harvard University, graduating in 2013.[5][21][22]

Nguyen interned at NASA in 2011 and 2013.[4][23][24] She conducted research on exoplanets at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.[25] Nguyen served as the Deputy White House Liaison for the U.S. Department of State.[6][21] She left her job at the State Department in 2016 to work full-time at Rise.[26] Encouraged by her mentors during her time at NASA, Nguyen aspired to become an astronaut.[21][25][27][28] In 2021 she became a scientist astronaut candidate at the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences researching women's health and menstruation.[29][30] In 2024, Blue Origin announced Nguyen would become the first Vietnamese woman to fly to space on an upcoming New Shepard mission.[13][14][15][16]

Activism

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In 2013, Nguyen was raped while she was in college at Harvard University in Massachusetts.[6][4][31] Nguyen chose not to press charges immediately since she did not feel she had the necessary time and resources to participate in a trial that could potentially last for years.[32][33] After police officers informed her there was a 15-year statute of limitations for rape in Massachusetts, she decided she would press charges at a later date when she was ready.[34] She had a rape kit performed and discovered that, if she did not report the crime to law enforcement, her rape kit would be destroyed after six months if an extension request was not filed.[4][27][35] She was also not given official instructions on how to file for an extension.[6] Nguyen considered this system to be broken, partially because the extension request would be an unnecessary reminder of a traumatizing experience.[4][27] Nguyen met other survivors with similar stories and concluded that the current legal protections were insufficient.[27] She has created publicized events such as a fashion show during New York Fashion Week in the Museum of Modern Art, with models who were survivors of sexual assault.[36]

Rise

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In November 2014,[37] Nguyen founded Rise, a nonprofit organisation which is aimed to protect the civil rights of sexual assault and rape survivors.[21][4][27] Nguyen headed the organization in her spare time[28][37] until September 2016.[26] Everyone who works with Rise is a volunteer,[25] and the organization has raised money through GoFundMe.[6] Nguyen explained that the organization was named Rise to "remind us that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can rise and change the world".[27] Nguyen's aim is for Rise to pass a Sexual Assault Survivor Bill of Rights in all 50 U.S. states as well as on the national level.[6] She has also traveled to Japan where a similar bill was presented.[26][33]

Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act

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Main article: Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act

In July 2015,[32] Nguyen met with New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen to discuss legislation that would protect survivor rights on the federal level.[4] Legislation that Nguyen had helped draft was introduced to Congress in February 2016 by Shaheen.[6][4] Nguyen collaborated with Change.org and comedy website Funny or Die to draw attention to the legislation and encourage voters to support it.[38] Nguyen launched a Change.org petition that called on Congress to pass the legislation.[37] The Funny or Die video and Change.org petition received support from Judd Apatow and Patricia Arquette on Twitter.[39] As of February 28, 2016, the Change.org petition gained 60,000 of the 75,000 requested signatures.[37] By October 2016, there were more than 100,000 signatures.[40]

The bill passed through the Senate in May[6] and the House of Representatives in September.[32] It passed unanimously in both chambers of Congress,[6][32] and was signed into law in October 2016 by President Barack Obama.[6][21][4][23] The new law protects, among other rights, the right to have the evidence of a rape kit preserved without charge for the duration of the statute of limitations.[4]

On October 12, 2017, California governor Jerry Brown approved a bill titled "Sexual assault victims: rights".[41]

We the Future Portrait

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In 2018, Shepard Fairey created a portrait of Amanda Nguyen for Amplifier's "We the Future" campaign, a series of commissioned art pieces that were sent to 20,000 middle and high schools around the United States to teach about various grassroots movements.[42]

Awards and honors

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Awards and prizes

Personal life

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Born in California,[39] Nguyen resides in Washington, D.C.[6][21]

References

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  1. ^ "Risers". RiseNow. Rise. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "2022 Time Women of the Year". March 3, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Amanda Nguyen receives the 24th Heinz Awards in the Public Policy category". September 12, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "'30 Under 30' Honoree Amanda Nguyen Is Fighting for Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights". NBC News. February 2, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Students Help Draft Sexual Assault Legislation". The Harvard Crimson. January 19, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "How a 24-Year-Old Rape Survivor Is Pushing Congress to Change the Way the U.S. Handles Sexual Assault". People. August 30, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  7. ^ "Who Is Amanda Nguyen? The Young Women's Honoree Worked With President Obama To Protect American Women". Bustle. December 20, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  8. ^ General, Ryan (July 5, 2018). "Woman Who Drafted 'Sexual Assault Survivor's Bill of Rights' Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize". NextShark. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  9. ^ Nahmad, Erica (January 29, 2019). "All Rise for Amanda Nguyen: The Force Behind the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act". BeLatina. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  10. ^ Huetteman, Emmarie (May 25, 2016). "Advocates Praise Senate Bill on Sexual Assault Victims' Rights". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  11. ^ Liu, Jennifer (March 1, 2021). "How millennial Nobel Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen's viral video sparked coverage of anti-Asian racism". CNBC. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  12. ^ "Why More Policing Isn't the Answer to a Rise in Anti-Asian Hate Crimes". Time. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Yeo, Suzanne (May 3, 2024). "Civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen talks being the 1st Vietnamese woman to go to space". ABC News. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Amanda Nguyen set to become first Vietnamese woman to fly into space". MSNBC.com. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Meet Amanda Nguyen, set to be the first woman of Vietnamese descent in space". Orange County Register. April 6, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Amanda Nguyen to be first Vietnamese American in space". AsAmNews. April 6, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Vagianos, Alanna (July 21, 2018). "The Rape Survivor Who Turned Her Activism Into A Nobel Peace Prize Nomination". HuffPost. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  18. ^ "Time 100 Next 2019". Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  19. ^ "Amanda Nguyen, 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and the CEO and Founder of Rise". UW Oshkosh Today. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  20. ^ Hirahara, Naomi (2022). We are here : 30 inspiring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have shaped the United States. Illustrated by Illi Ferandez (1st ed.). Philadelphia. ISBN 978-0-7624-7965-8. OCLC 1284917938.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  21. ^ a b c d e f "Amanda Nguyen". Forbes. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  22. ^ "Amanda Nguyen - CEO and Founder, Rise". LinkedIn. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  23. ^ a b c "Global Thinkers 2016: Amanda Nguyen". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  24. ^ "Rising Stars 2017: Advocates". Roll Call. April 21, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  25. ^ a b c "Rape survivors have fewer rights than you'd think. Amanda Nguyen is trying to change that". The Boston Globe. April 7, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  26. ^ a b c "Sexual Assault Bill Author Encourages Youth Activism". The Harvard Crimson. October 25, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  27. ^ a b c d e f "Navigating the broken system was worse than the rape itself". The New York Times. February 4, 2016. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  28. ^ a b "Meet the 24-year-old who could change how the US handles sexual assaults". The Guardian. February 23, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  29. ^ "Amanda Nguyen to become first Vietnamese-American woman to go into space". NBC News. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  30. ^ "How Amanda Nguyen Uses Fashion to Empower Survivors of Sexual Assault". Harper's BAZAAR. July 15, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  31. ^ "The woman behind the sexual-assault survivor 'bill of rights'". PBS. October 28, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  32. ^ a b c d "How One Victim's Fight Got Sexual Assault Bill to Obama". Roll Call. October 7, 2016. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  33. ^ a b "24-Year-Old Rape Survivor Is Pushing Congress to Pass Sexual Assault Survivor Bill of Rights". Time. September 7, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  34. ^ "Obama Expected To Sign Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill Of Rights Into Law". NPR. September 9, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  35. ^ "To combat rape, a 'bill of rights' for survivors". The Christian Science Monitor. March 21, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  36. ^ Gupta, Alisha Haridasani (September 12, 2021). "A Fashion Show With an Unexpected Focus: Sexual Assault Survivors". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  37. ^ a b c d "Do We Need a Bill of Rights for Sexual-Assault Survivors?". TakePart. February 28, 2016. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  38. ^ "Here's What a Bunch of 'Supervillains' Think About U.S. Sexual Assault Laws". Fortune. February 26, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  39. ^ a b "This Rape Survivor Just Helped Get a Huge Bill Passed Through the House". Cut. October 28, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  40. ^ "Obama Just Signed The Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill Of Rights". Refinery29. October 8, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  41. ^ "Bill Text - AB-1312 Sexual assault victims: rights". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  42. ^ Grant, Daniel (September 18, 2018). "Political Posters by Shepard Fairey and Others Are Coming to 20,000 US Classrooms". Observer. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  43. ^ "Marie Claire Magazine Young Women's Honors Award Recipients 2016". Marie Claire. December 12, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  44. ^ Alawa, Silla; Keane-Lee, Jalena (December 29, 2016). "40 Women to Watch: The 2017 Edition". The Tempest. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  45. ^ "The Frederick Douglass 200". TheGuardian.com. July 5, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  46. ^ "WORLDZ - Nelson Mandela Changemaker Recipient". Facebook. September 11, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  47. ^ "Bright Sparks: The 2019 Global Goals List". Vanity Fair. March 1, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  48. ^ "Time 100 Next 2019". Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  49. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
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