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.
January 9, 2015 - On this The Daily Circuit program, MPR’s Tom Weber talks with Lee Pao Xiong and Chia Youyee Vang about the history of the Hmong migration to the U.S…a history that some are unaware of 40 years after the first arrivals.
March 2, 2015 - On the 40th anniversary of the arrival of Hmong refugees to Minnesota, MPR’s Sasha Aslanian profiles three members in the local Hmong community.
March 2, 2015 - In marking the 40th anniversary of Hmong arrival to the U.S., All Things Considered’s Tom Crann presents an audio portrait of Ly Xiong Pao. In profile, Pao shares memories of war and being a shaman.
March 3, 2015 - In marking the 40th anniversary of Hmong arrival to the U.S., All Things Considered’s Tom Crann presents an audio portrait of Ma Lee. In profile, Lee shares traumatic memories of fleeing during wartime.
March 4, 2015 - In marking the 40th anniversary of Hmong arrival to the U.S., All Things Considered’s Steven John presents an audio portrait of Yee Chang. In profile, Chang shares memories of resettlement as a child. Audio originally aired as part of 1999 MPR documentary “This Is Home: The Hmong in Minnesota”
March 4, 2015 - On this episode of Appetites, Pakou Hang, co-founder and executive director of the Hmong American Farmers Association, shares five things you might not have known about Hmong food and farming in Minnesota.
March 5, 2015 - MPR News with Tom Weber presents a commentary and interview with Pai Yang, a Hmong woman who used to live in St. Paul. Yang shares her thoughts of Hmong family and perceptions of Hmong in society.
April 13, 2015 - For the 40th anniversary since the first Hmong family settled in Minnesota, MPR’s Tom Weber interviews three Hmong American artists: spoken word and hip hop artist Tou Saiko Lee, painter Cy Thao, and writer Kao Kalia Yang. They discuss the value of the arts, through which personal and cultural pasts are melded with their present lives.
April 23, 2015 - On MPR News with Tom Weber, Kao Choua Vue previews Quia Dab Neeg Film Festival, held at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. The sixth-annual Hmong film festival showcases films produced by Hmong artists from Minnesota, around the country, and from Laos.
July 2, 2015 - On MPR News with Tom Weber, Tzianeng Vang shares details on The Hmong Freedom Celebration, also known as J4. The annual event at Como Park features a soccer tournament, as well as other sports, activities, traditional Hmong goods for sale, and food. This year the festival holds a little more significance because it was 40 years ago this year that the first Hmong arrived in Minnesota.