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 19, 2006 - MPR’s Perry Finneli interviews "Mr. Mark" Thompson, a teacher at Como Park Elementary School in St. Paul, about being named as Minnesota's 2006 "American Stars of Teaching" by the U.S. Department of Education for his work with Hmong English Language Learner students. Thompson also discusses the creation of a Hmong-English dictionary to help students.
November 14, 2006 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Ilean Her, executive director of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, about a new census report that shows that while some minority groups are struggling economically, the Hmong community in Minnesota has made significant gains. Their per capita income jumped up fifty percent over the last five years.
November 17, 2006 - It’s been thirty years since Hmong began arriving in Minnesota. MPR's Toni Randolph interviews Leng Wong, one of the first arrivals that came in the mid-70s. That small initial group now is a community of more than 50-thousand strong.
February 5, 2007 - In this installment from The Bookshelf series, MPR’s Cathy Wurzer talks with State Senator Mee Moua about books that are important to her. Moua came to the United States as a Hmong refugee when she was nine years old, and she said that even though she never read books when she was young, stories were a big part of her childhood, particularly when she lived in a refugee camp in Thailand.
May 3, 2007 - MPR’s Toni Randolph reports on Graves Desecration Reconciliation Working Group, a St. Paul group that is working with U.S. diplomatic officials in Thailand to resolve an issue that has angered members of Minnesota's Hmong community. They're trying to figure out what to do with the disinterred remains of some of their relatives once buried near a Buddhist temple in Thailand.
June 5, 2007 - MPR’s Toni Randolph reports on viewpoints in Hmong community about General Vang Pao and the support for him after his U.S. arrest. While he has been in the United States for about 30 years, and no longer a military leader, he's still an important figure in Hmong history in America.
June 19, 2007 - MPR's Toni Randolph reports on a Hmong rally at the state Capitol to show their support for General Vang Pao. Vang is charged with masterminding a violent overthrow of the Laotian government.
July 19, 2007 - MPR’s Roseanne Pereria reports that while farming runs deep in the Hmong culture, many Hmong farmers are isolated both by culture and language from the rest of U.S. agriculture. They often have difficulty getting resources and finding information. Pereria interviews one local grower who work towards changing that.
August 13, 2007 - Cultural change begins in small ways. Some Hmong women in St. Paul are starting with themselves. MPR's Roseanne Pereira reports on The Hmong Women Leadership Institute, which works to foster leadership skills in young Hmong women. It’s a small, but impactful, change to centuries' old Hmong social order.
December 7, 2007 - Pakou Hang was just days old when her family immigrated to the United States in 1976. They were part of the first wave of Hmong refugees to come to the United States. Now, the family has lived here far longer than they lived in Laos, and Pakou Hang fits in quite well in her community. She recently ran for a seat on the St. Paul City Council, but challenges still remain as an immigrant living in America, as demonstrated through this interview with her mother, Phoua Hang.