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.
November 25, 2005 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews State Sentator Mee Moua about the Hmong New Year. Moua provides details on the holiday and of her own personal experiences.
November 28, 2005 - Thousands of Hmong residents in Minnesota are celebrating the Hmong New Year, and many are traveling to Laos and Thailand to celebrate with their families there. Some Hmong residents are asking their doctors if they should worry about the bird flu epidemic. So far, there's no vaccine for bird flu, but health care officials say there are ways for travelers to keep themselves safe from the virus.
December 2, 2005 - MPR’s Toni Randolph reports on human rights advocates in Minnesota getting involved in the fight to stop graves from being dug up near a Buddhist temple in Thailand.
February 27, 2006 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports on Teacher Quality Enrichment, a scholarship program that is helping diversify the ranks of the district's ESL teachers. St. Paul's public school district is trying to boost the number of immigrants teaching English as a second language.
March 3, 2006 - MPR’s Toni Randolph report that about 400 members of the Hmong community turned out for a town hall meeting in St. Paul to get an update on what's happened since hundreds of Hmong graves were desecrated in Thailand last fall. Many people attending the meeting also sent letters to the United Nations to protest the unearthing and dismemberment of their deceased loved ones.
March 9, 2006 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Lee Pao Xiong, director of Concordia's Center for Hmong Studies, about the first ever International Conference on Hmong Studies. Academics from around the world are coming to Concordia University to talk about a culture undergoing dramatic transition.
March 20, 2006 - MPR’s Toni Randolph reports on a bill making its way through the state Senate that would allow recognition of Hmong cultural marriages by the state of Minnesota. The measure would give the negotiators between families in Hmong cultural weddings the authority to perform legal marriages, but the bill is getting resistance from some Hmong leaders.
April 28, 2006 - MPR's Marisa Helms reports on Neighborhood House, a St. Paul community center providing services for the growing numbers of immigrants and refugees in the metro area. Neighborhood House is celebrating the grand opening of its new building in St. Paul, which is named after Paul and Sheila Wellstone.
August 28, 2006 - On this segment of MPR’s “Notes from Home,” Chris Roberts looks into the local music scene in Hmong community.
September 1, 2006 - The Department of Defense says 20-year-old Qixing Lee of Minneapolis died on Sunday, August 27th, near Taji, just north of Baghdad. He was among four soldiers in his unit who were killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Bradley Fighting Vehicle during combat operations.