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.
September 28, 2004 - All Thing’s Considered’s David Molpus interviews Pat Harvey, St. Paul School District Superintendent, about incoming Hmong students. School officials are asking the state for more time to enroll new Hmong students coming from a refugee camp in Thailand.
October 25, 2004 - MPR’s Toni Randolph reports that English language classes are bursting at the seams in the Twin Cities. New arrivals to the United States have been packing the classes, eager to learn the primary language of their new homeland.
November 15, 2004 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports that St. Paul School District officials say 600 Hmong refugee students have enrolled since the beginning of the school year, and hundreds more could still arrive in the coming weeks.
November 27, 2004 - There's a big party going on right now at River Centre in St. Paul. It's the Hmong New Year...and for the Hmong a New Year's Eve party means traditional costumes, dancing, singing and most importantly family. Dao Bay of the Lao Family Community of Minnesota is one of the organizers of celebration and speaks with MPR’s Stephine Curtis on how they determined when it is the new year.
December 6, 2004 - MPR’s Perry Finelli interviews Dr. Pat Walker, medical director at the Center for International Health at Regions Hospital, about mass health screening clinics for new refugees.
December 14, 2004 - MPR’s Lorna Benson reports on a panel discussion at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute designed to debunk misperceptions about immigrants. The panel of Twin Cities community leaders say they're discouraged by the attitudes of Minnesotans who are fed up with immigrants. A new study has found that many Minnesotans believe immigrants are a drain on public services and that they shun assimilation. The opinions were strongest among people living in the outer-ring suburbs.
December 27, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio’s Tom Robertson reports on how Anderson Fabrics in Blackduck, Minnesota is looking for immigrants to solve a labor shortage problem. After a failed attempt with Hmong employees due to a culture clash, company hopes to find a solution in the Twin Cities Latino community. Nearly 40 Latino workers moved from the Twin Cities to Blackduck in the fall of 2004. Blackduck school and community leaders are now bracing for what's expected to be a wave of Latino families.
April 20, 2005 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Rick Linsk, reporter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, about Vang Pao Foundation. The non-profit foundation named for General Vang Pao, a leader in the Hmong community, faces a law suit from the office of State Attorney General Mike Hatch. The suit alleges that the Vang Pao Foundation engaged in questionable spending, and bypassed state charity laws.
June 1, 2005 - All Things Considered’s Tom Cran talks with Mo Chang, the charter school liaison and special project coordinator for St. Paul Public Schools, about the closure of Wat Tham Krabok and what life was like in the camp. As a child, Chang lived in Thai refugee camps. In 2004, she was part of a group that traveled with St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly to learn more about life at Wat Tham Krabok.
August 4, 2005 - Dr. Andrew Portis, a Twin Cities physician, is trying to figure out why the Hmong patients he sees appear to be more prone to kidney stones than his patients who are not Hmong. Portis also is hoping his research will shed light on why many Hmong patients refuse treatment until they have reached a crisis.