After the Vietnam War, many Hmong people found themselves as refugees. The resettlement of some to the United States began in 1975, with multiple waves continuing until 2006. Today Minneapolis-St. Paul is home to the largest urban Hmong population in the world. The Hmong people in Minnesota have developed a strong and vibrant community in their chapter of the immigrant story in America.
May 7, 2003 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on U.S. Ambassador to Laos visiting Minnesota to promote the start of normal trade relations with the communist country. The visit sparked protests, organized primarily by Hmong veterans who sided with the United States during the Vietnam War, but who were driven out when the U.S. withdrew its support. They say opening relations with Laos only rewards a brutal regime.
July 8, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio’s Erin Galbally looks into divorce in the Hmong communtity. Some Hmong say it's allowing women in particular to escape difficult marriages. But traditionalists worry about the long-term impact of the new trend on Hmong culture.
July 23, 2003 - MPR’s Nikki Tundel interviews Michele Garnett McKenzie, director of the Refugee and Immigrant Program at Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, about newly released figures show Minnesota's largest minority groups are making significant economic strides. McKenzie says over the last few decades the state has become a magnet for the county's newest residents.
July 23, 2003 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports that new information released by the U.S. Census gives a more detailed look at the state's Hmong population. When the Census was taken in 2000, Hmong Minnesotan's held jobs, but a third of them lived below the federal poverty line. The majority of Hmong are foreign-born, but over 30 percent are born in the state.
July 29, 2003 - All Things Considered’s Greta Cunningham talks with Lee Pao Xiong, a local leader in the Hmong community, about housing issues in Twin Cities. Xiong states housing is the foundation for everything.
October 30, 2003 - MPR’s Steve Nelson reports on St. Paul being the center of an emerging group of Hmong writers. That's may not seem all that remarkable, until you consider that Hmong people had no written language at all until 1952. Before then, Hmong story-telling relied on oral traditions. Now, writers in St. Paul are turning those stories into literature and history.
November 27, 2003 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki reports that Gen. Vang Pao, a former Vietnam-era military leader of CIA sponsored forces in Laos and head of the United Lao Liberation Front made a stark change in his position by saying he'd support normalizing trade relations if Laos improves its conduct on human rights.
December 18, 2003 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Mee Moua, a Minnesota state senator, about the potential of new Hmong refugees to the Twin Cities. The U.S. State Department has reached an agreement with the government of Thailand which could bring thousands of new Hmong refugees to the United States. 14,000 Hmong people are living in the last refugee camp of its kind in Thailand.
January 21, 2004 - MPR’s Toni Randolph reports that local and state officials, refugee agencies, and Hmong community organizations have been trying to figure out how many refugees could end up in the Twin Cities. The Thai government says more than 15,000 refugees are living in the camp surrounding a Buddhist temple. They'll be eligible for the resettlement program, which is scheduled to begin screening refugees in mid-March of 2004.
April 30, 2004 - Federal law enforcement officials are investigating several recent violent incidents involving members of the Twin Cities Hmong community. The most recent event was a suspicious fire that burned down the home of the son of a prominent Hmong leader. While the authorities search for suspects, some in the Hmong community say the recent violence highlights old divisions and wounds that have yet to heal.