We Have Arrived. We Remember. We Are Still Here.

In April 2025, the Asian District Cultural Association unveiled “We Have Arrived,” a boat installation created to honor the refugee experience and the thousands of people who made the difficult journey to America in search of safety, freedom, and a new home.

For Oklahoma City’s Vietnamese refugee community, the boat represents something deeply personal.

It honors those who survived war and displacement. It honors the families who arrived in Oklahoma and built new lives here. And it remembers the countless people who attempted the journey by sea but never made it to shore.

This installation has always been more than a piece of art.
It is our history. It is our memory. It is our story.

Sadly, the installation has been vandalized several times since it was introduced in April 2025. Most recently, on September 4th, the boat appears to have been intentionally set on fire, leaving it severely damaged.

We are heartbroken.

And we know we are not alone.

Since sharing what happened, we have received an incredible outpouring of messages from people throughout Oklahoma City and beyond asking one simple question:

“How can we help?”

This campaign is our answer.

We want to rebuild.

Your donation will help the Asian District Cultural Association restore or recreate the “We Have Arrived” installation and ensure that this important piece of Oklahoma City's refugee history continues to have a place in our community.

We also want to explore ways to better protect and preserve the installation so that future generations can experience it as it was intended—as a place of remembrance, reflection, education, and pride.

But this campaign is about more than wood, paint, and reconstruction.

It is about sending a message of our own.

You cannot burn away our history.
You cannot erase the stories of those who came before us.
You cannot destroy the resilience of a community.

The people represented by this boat endured unimaginable hardship to build a new life. They opened businesses. They raised families. They became teachers, doctors, entrepreneurs, community leaders, neighbors, and friends. They helped build Oklahoma City.

And they belong here.

So when you give to this campaign, you aren't simply helping us rebuild an installation.

You are helping us preserve a story.
You are helping us honor those who were lost.
You are helping us show our refugee community that they are seen, valued, and welcome.

Thank you to everyone who has stood with us, shared our story, offered encouragement, and asked how you can help.

We are deeply grateful.

We have arrived.
We remember.
We belong.
And we are still here.

Restore "We Have Arrived" Boat Installation