Library Exhibits

Hope of Freedom: Project Ngoc’s Decade of Dedication

The UCI Libraries is pleased to announce the opening of an inspiring new exhibit, Hope of Freedom: Project Ngoc’s Decade of Dedication on Tuesday, April 24^th, at 5:30 pm in Langson Library.  The exhibit chronicles the history and wide-reaching impact of Project Ngoc (Project Pearl), a UCI student-led humanitarian organization whose decade of activism raised awareness and support for the plight of Vietnamese refugees detained in camps in Asia after the Vietnam War.   

Conceived in 1987 by graduate student Tom Wilson as a class at UCI, Project Ngoc grew into a remarkable humanitarian effort that made a difference in the lives of many Vietnam War refugees.  Hope of Freedom traces Project Ngoc’s impressive accomplishments, including sending student volunteers to camps in Hong Kong, Thailand, and the Philippines to teach classes and deliver gifts, supplies and financial donations.  Featured prominently in the exhibit are photographs of the camps, and paintings the refugees made, many with powerful images of their desperate yearning for freedom.  The exhibit highlights Project Ngoc’s influence at the local, national, and international level through newsletters, student journals, and program materials that reveal the group’s tireless efforts on behalf of the refugees. 

Opening night event | event video | event photos | checklist (pdf) | brochure (pdf)