One of my favorite songs is “Georgia on My Mind.” Over the last few months, and especially over the past few days, I could hear myself humming … “Fields Corner is on my mind.”

Last month, VietAID celebrated its 20th anniversary, an event coincident with Fields Corner being recognized as one of the “Best Ten” neighborhoods in America in 2014 by the American Planning Association, a highly esteemed national organization. And since Friday, many media outlets have called me to ask about Mr. Mark Wahlberg’s request for a pardon for a crime he committed in 1988.

Newspaper articles and social network forums have been abuzz with this question: Should he be marked for his mistake for the rest of his life? Or does he deserve the opportunity to wipe the stain – a bloody one – from his record so he can have an even more prosperous and happy life.

I keep thinking about his past as a racist young punk and about his apparent redemption on his way to becoming a top movie star and a social philanthropist. I keep thinking about the transformation of Fields Corner from one of the most neglected and dangerous areas to one of the most promising and vibrant neighborhoods of Boston. In a way, these two changes have moved in parallel.

A dear friend of mine, a Greek-American who has lived in Dorchester for decades, wrote: "Those were ugly days in Dorchester. Dong Phuong was the first Vietnamese market along Dorchester Ave. Our building was regularly pelted with rocks because we rented to Vietnamese people. Our back porches were set on fire. Still, my grandfather did not give in to the neighborhood pressures to discriminate and not rent to fellow human beings. The kids growing up in the area were taught that hate; it was in their homes. So sad.

“Every ethnicity gets it when they first move to this country when they are poor. Our family is from Greece. The priest at St. Patrick's Church got in front of the congregation and told the parish not to buy bakery products from my family because they were Greek Orthodox in the ‘60s.

“In the 70's my family bought a house at 36 Park St. Every day they would go and try to remodel it and at night the kids would break in and vandalize it. Eventually we would sleep there to try to protect it, and the kids lit it on fire while we were sleeping."

In the ‘80s, every Vietnamese I knew who lived around Fields Corner, was assaulted and or robbed. Today, there are almost 20,000 Vietnamese congregated within a one-mile radius of the Fields Corner T station. There are more than 200 Vietnamese-owned businesses along Dorchester Avenue. You can safely enjoy a glass of Guinness beer at the Blarney Stone Bar at one end of Fields Corner and afterward walk to the other end to enjoy a bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup at Pho Le Restaurant.

Along the way you can shop for cosmetics, jewelry, groceries, smart phones, or visit a doctor or dentist. If your feet get tired, you can sit on a bench at the Hero Square. You can also watch a ball game at Town Field Park. Fields Corner now is not what it was 30 years ago.

Mark Wahlberg is also a much different person from the young thug he was years ago. Instead of making troubles for blacks and Asians, he is making movies for all of us to enjoy while enriching himself immensely along the way. He has also donated hundreds of thousand dollars over the years to the Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester. Having cleaned up his act, he now wants to clean up his record, so he is seeking a pardon from the governor.

Some of my friends, both Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese, says that there should be no pardon for him because while he may have changed, one of his victims lost eyesight and he and other victims still suffer from emotional and psychological traumas. How can they erase the memories of not only being savagely beaten and injured, but also having had their dignity and identity trampled on? You have to own up to your mistakes, not erase them. And just because you are a wealthy celebrity, you cannot whitewash your crime so that you can make more money.

A former colleague of mine, a Caucasian, wrote: “A change of heart is nice, but it does not absolve Mark Wahlberg (or anyone) of past misdeeds. That he thinks he can just erase these horrible attacks from his record is reprehensible. He needs to own them. He absolutely should NOT be pardoned.”

Others say that his hate crime happened 26 years ago; thus, it is water under the bridge. We all make stupid youthful mistakes. Further, he has atoned for his crime because he has donated money to help Dorchester youths over the past many years.

Because of my job as executive director of Vietnamese American Initiative for Development, a Vietnamese-led nonprofit in Fields Corner, I have been asked if Mr. Walberg should apologize to the Vietnamese community so we could support his pardon. What he did was very personal to his victims, so if he wants to apologize, he should apologize to them.

Our country, America, was founded on the belief of “the second chance.” And Oscar Wilde wrote, "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”

If Mr. Wahlberg sincerely believes that a pardon would help him to be a better person and be a better father to his children, personally, I would support his request. It is not always about making more or giving more money. For me, it is about humanity and responsibility. For the record, our non-profit has never had any support or donation or contact from Mr. Wahlberg, his family, or his foundation.

If we respect, accept, and collaborate together, in the not very distant future , Fields Corner will not be just a subway stop, but a destination that we can be proud to look forward to, a place to celebrate the brotherhood of men together.

And perhaps, Mark Wahlberg, not a racist but a real man, can make a blockbuster movie about how he and Fields Corner have been transformed for the greater good for all.

Nam Van Pham is a resident of Dorchester.