“Could you give your life for the sake of another?”

That was my introduction to John Vietnam. Except, I knew John longer before I knew his story.

In 2018, I attended the Argyle Night Market where local performing artists from Andersonville, Edgewater, and Uptown performed for neighbors and friends. The crowd was friendly, offering encouragements to the emcees, djay, and bboys that took the stage. One performer’s opening really caught my attention. He said, “When the time came, could you give your life for the sake of another? That was John Vietnam – my friend, our brother.”

Over the course of the night those at the mic led us through chants to honor John’s legacy. John. Vietnam. John. Vietnam. JVN! JVN! But who was this young man being honored – and why does his legacy speak to me so?

The stage-crew began handing out various CDs. Being a fan of music, I wanted to see what it was about, but by the time I reached the front, all the CDs had been given away. A man saw me without, and reached out with a CD he’d just received in his hand. He said something to the effect of, “Here, you can have this. You probably need it more than I do.” I backed away a little, declining. “Really, have it.” Then, he biked away into the night. Emergence. I felt grateful that a stranger would see me and offer me a gift. I felt curious about this JVN and soon returned home too.

CD players were not easy to come by in 2018 – stereos were outdated, and laptops no longer hand built in players. Finding a way to play this CD in itself felt like a ritual. Emergence, the CD I’d been gifted, is a collection of unreleased and remixed songs curated and crafted by friends of John Vietnam post-humously. The 20 tracks paint a vivid picture of John’s philosophy and benevolent action of community building, love, and compassion for the afflicted and oppressed.

John was a young man defining himself in an existence between worlds. In his documentary, his friends tell of how he struggled and came to terms with his identity as a son of a Vietnamese mother and a white father who met during the Vietnam war. John’s legacy is rife with these connections out of contradiction. Rather than lament his difference, he used his power to build bridges and amplify voices of people on the margins.

John died saving a friend from drowning in 2012. “When the time came, could you give your life…?” In 2008, I had begun writing a short story with a similar premise – two lovers find respite on the beach, when one of them begins to drown, and the other jumps in to save her, not really knowing how to swim herself. The story continued on to follow their joint yet separated paths navigating life after death – one in the earthly realm, and the other in the spiritual realm.

Utada Hikaru’s Sanctuary was the theme song for this story, and more widely known as the theme song of the Kingdom Hearts series. Kingdom Hearts brings characters across the Disney franchise under one roof in fantastical adventure settings. In a similar way, I feel my story crosses paths with John Vietnam.

In 2019, I began writing lyrics and recording songs to instrumental tracks, seeing music as a way to heal, express, and creating loving community. Inspired by music’s transformative power, I was finally hooked when I saw a person (who I thought was timid) freestyling solo with a confidence and bravado that shook me. Everything I thought about this person came undone at the revelation of his emceeing ability. And so, I began to find the power of my voice through music, too.

John was a community activist who put his ideals for a better world into rhymes and clever wordplay. Many of his music videos are shot with the vibrant Uptown community where he lived featured in the background. John connected people living in different worlds, and his music continues to inspire people to live better lives.

While I never knew John, his story and the legacy of his life continue to deeply affect me. I hold his legacy – and the way he carried himself while on this earth – in high regard. His life is a reminder to me to live vivaciously, to savor every moment, to give freely, to be true to my word in spirit and in deed. It’s hard for me to express why this story resonates so profoundly with me… so hopefully, you feel it too. Words don’t need to describe what the heart intuitively knows.

I hope this blog post will give rise to a new generation of people that learn of John’s legacy and connect in their dedication to live honestly, truly, and with a heart of compassion.

Tonight, at the 2023 Argyle Night Market, I briefly met John’s mother. And what could be said of a loss so deep and intimate? Words failed me at that moment. I bought a book of his collected poems and a small laminated picture of him. Then, once home, I began writing this post in reflective homage while people outside drummed hip hop rhythms in the night air.

Rest in power, JVN. You are missed, but your spirit lives on.