We are relaunching our Year of the Dragon merch sale in support of refugees from Angola, Congo, and Venezuela, Cameroon, and Cuba who are currently in great need.

What's going on?

600+ families and individuals Angola, Congo, Cameroon, Cuba and Venezuela are currently in Tukwila, Washington seeking asylum. They've been living in tents outside a church, where conditions are dire. With lack of space, severe cold weather, and pests, they are unable to cook, stay warm, and avoid diseases.

They're looking to start a new life, starting with permanent housing, work permits, healthcare, and schools for their children, while facing racist policies, neglect, and lack of action by governmental agencies. 

Why we are doing this

We are heartbroken by the conditions these refugees currently face. We are outraged that some of the root causes stem from the U.S. government's foreign policies, interventions, and economic interests in Africa and Latin America.

Domestic harsh economic measures and policy failures have left local governments with little to no funding for a basic social safety net, which would help the refugees in this transitional time.

As many of our families are former refugees, we know all too well that there?s no such thing as pulling yourself up by your own bootstrap, and that we need assistance and support when we begin again and rebuild our lives in a different country.

We know that we cannot replace real social services and infrastructure, but we are doing this fundraiser in hope it will provide a small amount of relief.

About the design

Our proverbs speak to the spirit of solidarity. We?ve incorporated two Vietnamese proverbs into these original illustrations:

G?p gi? th?nh b?o literally translates to gather winds to make storms. Every year, the central and western regions of Vietnam suffer from storms, floods, and strong winds. The proverb speaks to a natural phenomenon we experience: a small wind doesn?t have much effect, but a large wind is very powerful.

G?p c?y n?n r?ng literally translates to gather trees to make forests. The trees in the illustration are mangroves, which play an extremely important role in protecting from soil erosion and strong waves, supplying seafood, and storing carbon.

Vietnam used to have the largest area of mangrove forests in the world, which were destroyed by the Second Indochina War (known in the U.S. as the Vietnam War), during which 50% of coastal mangroves were defoliated by Agent Orange and napalm.

We chose these proverbs to speak to the importance of unity and solidarity at this time. Together, we can coalesce small efforts and actions into something bigger and more powerful. Each person, org, or unit can contribute to ?creating the storm? by joining forces! 

The meaning of the dragon

The Year of the Dragon begins on February 10, 2024, and ends on January 29, 2025, of the Gregorian calendar. 

The dragon represents power, luck, prosperity, and advancement, and is closely associated with Vietnamese people through our creation myth as being descendants of L?c Long Qu?n, Dragon King of L?c, and ?u C?, an immortal mountain ti?n. 

In feng shui, the dragon converges all-natural elements and is considered a creature of prosperity, luck, wisdom, and is entrusted with wishes for good weather, adequate sunshine, and rain. In modern times, it?s believed that carrying an image of a dragon can attract good fortune and opportunities.

In addition to these tops, we also have tote bags, mugs, and onesies! For all merch options, please go to: song2sea.com/merch

Direct links to all Bonfire pages:

1. Storm Dragon Tops
2. Mangrove Dragon Tops
3. Mangrove Dragon Onesies
4. Storm Dragon Mug
5. Mangrove Dragon Tote
6. Storm Dragon Tote

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A PART OF THIS FUNDRAISER!