Founder, Vietnamese Public Radio – Oklahoma
Mai Ly Do AKA Marlene Do was one of the Vietnamese boat people who fled the communist regime on April 30, 1975, in search of freedom. She is the third child of a family of seven children.
The Do family struggled with their new environment and a new language. They survived, excelled, and all became productive citizens of the United States of America.
On September 11, 2001, America was attacked. Mrs. Do felt violated and felt the pain of the American people. The violence of Vietnam came back through her mind like a slow motion film. She fell in love with America all over again, and the idea of a Vietnamese language radio station was born. Its mission was to inform Vietnamese-Americans and to get them involved and to stand up as proud Americans.
Vietnamese Public Radio-Oklahoma was born on January 10, 2003. The early broadcasts started with only one hour a day. Since then, Vietnamese Public Radio-Oklahoma has expand to a 24/7 broadcast and has added stations in Atlanta, GA; Washington, DC; Maryland; Virginia; Albuquerque, NM; and Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Via the Internet, VPR-OK has listeners in more than 41 countries worldwide.