the hmong tribune july 2014

THEHMONGTRIBUNEHMOOB XOV XWM JULY 2014 PUB DLAWB

CALIFORNIA’S HMONG NEWSPAPER

SEAGAMES USA

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HMONG ENRICHMENTSUMMER CAMP

PAGES 6

The Lao-Hmong American Coalitionchapter in Fresno celebrated the annual recog-nition day of the Hmong and Lao veterans atthe Veterans of Foreign Wars lodge on SundayJuly 20.

During the summer of 1995, American andHmong veterans converged in Golden, Col-orado and along with local and state govern-ment proclaimed July 22 as Lao-Hmong

Recognition Day. Nearly twenty years later,many Hmong communities from California toMinnesota and North Carolina have specialevents during or around this day to rememberthe boys, men and women who fought fordemocracy.

The Fresno Chapter invited retired MajorGeneral Richard Secord as their keynotespeaker. Secord flew nearly 300 missions in

S.E. Asia and was respon-

sible as an air advisor during the Secret War.Secord reflected that his superiors were hesi-tant about the initial Hmong fighters of theAT-28 fighters because of the sophistication ofthe planes but he and many other Americanpersonnel quickly became impressed with theHmong pilots. They were impressed with howfast the new Hmong fighters learned and theirdesire to fly mission after mission with littlerest. He mentioned that he saw Lee Lue for his

final flight.The ceremony had some traditional

Hmong dancing, a speech by Fresno ChapterPresident Neng Wayeng Lee, speech by MercedMayor Pro Tempore Noah Lor and a specialaward ceremony for the veterans. Peng Yangof Fresno said it was, “an honor to see all ourveterans here today and say thank you tothem.”

More photos of vet's celebration on page 5.

Retired US Air Force Maj. General Secord and Hmong SGU Veterans

Summer means sports festivals across the United States. Photos of the SEA Games from Sacramento and July 4 Freedom Celebration from St. Paul are shown on pages 4. TheSEA Games not only has sports like soccer, flag football and volleyball but also a summer beauty pageant for men, women and even a “MRS.” – or niam tsev competition. InCalifornia with hot temperatures everyone should remember to stay hydrated with liquids. There are other activities during the summer such as academic camps, beaches or

canoe rides on quiet and cool waters. Fresno offers the Sierra Mountains and Yosemite National Park.

Summer is Here!

Vets Celebrate Hmong-Lao Recognition Day: July 22

THEHMONGTRIBUNE JULY 2014

4759 E. OLIVE AVE. #101 FRESNO, CA 93702 OFFICE (559) 709-5948 FACEBOOK.COM/THEHMONGTRIBUNE

Chelsey See XiongOn June 20, 2014, the Hmong Women

Today Fresno (HWTF) group launched theirfirst event for Hmong Women to use as a spacefor conversation to build support. Twentywomen participated in the discussions. Thegroup is spearheaded by three young Hmongwomen from Fresno: Melissa Vang, ChongMoua, and Mindy Lor. Hmong WomenToday of Fresno is part of a larger vision,Hmong Women Today which is founded inSacramento by Annie Lee.

The event included two ice breakers andLee’s speech. Lee spoke about clarity, empow-erment, and success, a life with power and pur-pose. As a Hmong woman, Lee understandthat many of us grew up with the feeling of“never being good enough,” therefore a lot oftime when she was growing up, she often felthaving to compete with other people in orderto be seen, love, and accepted. Even thoughshe achieved many goals, such as finishing col-lege, getting a job, and having a family, Lee feltunfilled. “For years I had the same routine andthen there were days where I was not fulfilled,”Lee expressed to the group. “Then I realizedthat it was because I was trying to be someoneI am not. I followed someone else’s plan andnot my own. My job allowed me to have thecomfort life and to support my family but itlimited my ability to express creatively. A fewyears ago I begin to ask: what is my life purposeand that I can truly live and feel good and rightto me?”

She suggested for women to understandtheir values, priorities, core desires and passion.She spoke of elevating our level of self-aware-ness and consciousness, such as our thoughts,beliefs and the language we use. Lee empha-sized on the importance to “dig deep and gethonest” with ourselves without judgment. Sheencourages people to see that our beliefs driveour behaviors which create the results of ourlives.

By participating in many online discussionswith other Hmong women, Lee found thatmany women felt the same way; experiencedsimilar frustration and have the same ques-tions. She asked many women what is theirmain challenge and the answers she receivedshow the same theme encompassing the ques-tion: “How do we best balance our life and ourroles as a Hmong woman of today in a way thatstill honor our elders, our culture, and mostimportantly, ourselves?”

She founded Hmong Women Today in2013 after three years of informal lunch andgatherings with Hmong women in the centralvalley, stretching from Sacramento to Visalia.Women who have attended the gatherings var-ied in generations, professions, and lifestyles.“I want to create a platform for Hmongwomen to be leaders and speakers; a platformwhere they can shine and create their credibil-ity and visibility,” said Lee. Through the meet-ings, Lee encourages others to network andcreate collaboration with whatever projectsthey are passionate about and encourages themto use their voice to share stories, wisdom, andexpertise by becoming a speaker at the meet-ups. The group has inspired other groups inthe state. Although the groups are au-tonomous from each other, they shared a vi-sion for women to be inspired to live and thrivewith passion.

The three founders of Hmong WomenToday Fresno hope to do more hands on workin the future, particularly in the mentorshipwith a Big Sister, Little Sister program that willpair older women to mentor younger women.

To see young Hmong girls going through thesame kind of dilemma that they have experi-enced when they were younger promptedthem to want to provide this much neededprogram. “We can learn from them. I thinkwe all go through similar situations as Hmongwomen, so I would be glad to hear stories fromolder Hmong women,” said Moua. Theywould also like to include events bridging thegenerations of women within the community,such as a mother and daughter discussion.

With informal groups for support and dis-cussion in the Sacramento area and now inFresno, other groups are starting to convene inStockton and the Twin Cities in Minnesota.Hmong Women Today’s current focus is em-powerment and encouraging women to takerisk in projects and activities that make themhappy and fulfill a clear purpose in their life.Hmong Women Today is open to collaborateand to take on future projects relating to thewellness of Hmong women.

Mindy Lor, Annie Lee, Melissa Vang, Chong Moua

Hmong Women Todayof Fresno Launched

To Report News or submit articles: Call (559) 709-5948 - facebook.com/thehmongtribune - Email: [email protected] www.TheHmongTribune.com

Conserve water thissummer!

Did you know that going to the car wash actually saves water and helps the com-munity? Commercial car washers use recycled water while washing your car at homeuses dozens of gallons of water and drains soaps and chemicals into the drainage system.

THE HMONGTRIBUNEPublisherSteve ThaoAssociate Editor-in-ChiefSeng Alex VangWritersJon P. DarbonnierChelsey See XiongCathy ThaoManaging EditorSeng Alex VangContributorsBryan T. WorraFong ChaKhong M LeeSky Bee VueAccount ExecutiveChuck LeeAlex Seng [email protected](559) 709-5948

THEHMONGTRIBUNEJULY 2014


Education News


The year 2014 marks the coming of age fora cohort of second generation Hmong Ameri-can scholars in the Central Valley of Califor-nia. The Hmong arrived to the U.S. as refugeesafter the Secret War of Laos ended in 1975.Due to the proximate locations the Hmong in-habited in Laos they were recruited by boththe U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and localCommunists to engage in a civil war in Laosmore commonly referred to as the Secret War.

It was not until the 1950s that missionariestranscribed Hmong into the RPA written lan-guage. Few Hmong could afford or had accessto formal education prior to the Secret War.Although up to the 1960s less than half adozen Hmong attained a high school diplomain Laos many Hmong leaders stressed the im-portance of higher education. Their involve-ment in the war did provide a fewopportunities for about two dozen Hmong,who were mostly men to study abroad in west-ern nations such as France, Australia and theUnited States. In 1972 the first Hmong, Dr.Yang Dao completed his doctorate degree inSocial Science from Sorbonne, University ofParis in France. Although this article will notgo into full detail, others from this first gener-ation also completed doctoral degrees in theearly to mid-1980s. It is important to ac-knowledge these Hmong pioneers for writingand researching about Hmong history, cultureand identity that would become the founda-tion for Hmong and Hmong American studiestoday.

Fast forward to the early 2000s, a cohort ofsecond generation Hmong American graduate

students began doctoral programs in social sci-ences and education at various research inten-sive academic universities in California.Planted more than 10 years ago, these seeds arenow bearing fruit for the Hmong Americancommunity.

This year is the first time that three HmongAmerican women will start faculty and stafftenure-track positions at universities and col-leges in the Central Valley.

Dr. Ma Vang will become the first HmongAmerican to attain a UC tenure-track facultyposition at UC Merced. Vang completed thePh.D. in Ethnic Studies from UC San Diegoand spent the past two years as a UC Presi-dent’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Riverside.This fall she will be Assistant Professor in Eth-nic Studies in the Humanities and World Cul-tures program in the School of Social Sciences,Humanities and Arts at UC Merced.

Dr. Bao Lor completed the Ph.D. in Eth-nic Studies from UC Berkeley and will start atenure-track position at CSU Stanislaus. Thisfall Lor will be Assistant Professor in the De-partment of Anthropology, Geography andEthnic Studies

Manlia Xiong completed the Masters of Li-brary Information Science (MLIS) from SanJose State University and will begin as Infor-mation Competency Librarian at the Collegeof Sequoias in Visalia. In this capacity Xiongwill serve as reference librarian and faculty toteach library information courses.

Two other Hmong Americans from this co-hort completed doctoral programs and have

accepted facultypositions out ofstate. Dr. LeenaHer completedthe Ph.D. in Edu-cational Linguis-

tics from Stanford University in 2008 and iscurrently Assistant Professor in TESOL andGlobal Learning at Kennesaw State Universityin GA. Dr. Yang Sao Xiong completed thePh.D. in Sociology from UCLA in 2012. Ayear later Xiong became the first to hold atenure-track teaching position in HmongAmerican studies which is an addition to theAsian American Studies and School of SocialWork at the University of Wisconsin, Madi-son.

A few other notable second generationHmong Americans who are currently in doc-toral programs and/or teaching at Californiauniversities:

Yang Lor: Doctoral student in Sociology,UC Berkeley.

Matthew Cha: Doctoral student in Mathe-matics at UC Davis.

True Moua: Program Manager and Ad-junct Faculty, University of Phoenix (CentralValley)

Lillian Thaoxaochay: Doctoral student inAnthropology, UC Santa Cruz.

Kau Vue: Doctoral student in Political Sci-ence, UC Merced.

Danny Chao Vang: Doctoral student inEducational Leadership, CSU Sacramento.

Pha Mouavangsou: Doctoral student in Ed-ucational Leadership, CSU Fresno.

Andre Yang: Adjunct Lecturer, English,CSU Fresno and Fresno City College.

Seng Alex Vang: Adjunct Lecturer, EthnicStudies, CSU Stanislaus.

Soua Xiong: Doctoral student in JointPh.D. Education, San Diego State and Clare-mont Graduate University.

These are just some of the emerging secondgeneration Hmong American scholars in Cal-ifornia and focused in social science and edu-cation. More data and better tracking is neededfor others who may be pursuing doctoral and

professional degrees at private and for profiteducation institutions.

In the context of the past 40 years to see thenumber grow from one Ph.D. in 1972 to about700 Hmong Americans who have attaineddoctoral and professional degrees in 2014 is amajor accomplishment. However these suc-cesses should not overshadow the urgent chal-lenges that need to be addressed in the HmongAmerican community. Some of these issues in-clude low educational attainment with a 40%high school dropout rate and academic reten-tion programs to support college students.This article’s purpose is to celebrate these re-cent successes and to empower more Hmongto pursue higher education opportunities. Thepath of higher education is one way we can“collectively” move the Hmong Americancommunity forward.

Emerging Hmong American Scholars

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Local Sports

SEA Games from Sacramento

July 4 Freedom Celebration from St. Paul

Photo courtesy of TP Lor


Photos Courtesyof Vanessa Yang

Mayor Pro Tempore Noah Lor opens SEA GamesPhoto courtesy Khong M Lee and Sky Bee Vue.

Mee Yang from China singsfor the SEA Games audience

Miss SEA Games, Cindy Xiong, 1st runner up Katie Vang,2nd runner up Duabci Cheng

Dance Group Winners:Ntxhais Ceev Txuj 2- PajHuam Tasav 3- NkaujHmoob Koob TesPhoto courtesy Khong MLee and Sky Bee Vue

Mrs. SEA Games,Kathleen Vang(second from left)



Local Events





Seng Alex Vang & Cathy ThaoThe Hmong community started residing in North Sacra-

mento in the early 1980’s. After three decades, the Hmong par-ents of North Sacramento united to re-create Hmong Youthand Parents United (HYPU), which was founded in the early2000’s. Collectively, HYPU advocates for their children’s edu-cation and collaborate with the school districts and other com-munity organizations in North Sacramento. This is the secondyear that HYPU is running its Hmong Summer EnrichmentProgram. The program is a partnership between Twin RiversUnified School District (TRUSD) and Hmong Youth and Par-ents United (HYPU). It is a six-week program that runs fromJune 25 and ends on July 31 at Martin Luther King Jr. MiddleSchool. The program is free and open to any Hmong student inthe Greater Sacramento area which means students who liveoutside the district are welcome to participate.

This year’s program was offered again through funding fromTRUSD’s Categorical Department. Through a long process ofadvocacy, building trust and relationships between the staff, ad-ministration, and board member of TRUSD, everyone recog-nized the need to create such a program to meet needs ofHmong students in the community.

HYPU also has an education program, Hmong SaturdaySchool, which has been running for almost three years. Ac-cording to Program Coordinator and Grant High SchoolHmong Language Teacher, Caroline Thao, “the school andcommunity saw the importance of a bi-literacy program to im-prove student achievement because many Hmong youth lackproficiency in both Hmong and English.”

This year’s summer camp currently serves about 110 stu-dents. About two-thirds are K-6 graders. The program was ableto secure funding to provide stipends for 10 staff: a coordina-

tor, assistant coordinator, four language teachers that teach stu-dents to read and write in Hmong, and four enrichment in-structors who teach cultural aspects which include dance,sports, Hmong arts and crafts and performing in a Hmong skit.One of this year’s field trip was a visit to the State Capital andSacramento City Hall, where the Hmong students had the op-portunity to meet and speak with their elected officials.

College students have and continue to volunteer and be pos-itive role models for the Hmong students. Hmong profession-als are also invited to be speakers and inspire as well as be aresource for the students. The response from parents has beenvery positive. With continual support from parents, TRUSD’sSuperintendent and Board members, school administrators,and local Hmong businesses, Ms. Thao hopes to see the pro-gram expand and serve more students in the near future.

Hmong Enrichment Summer Camp

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Fresno – West Fresno Family Resource Center and FresnoUnified School District are teaming up this year with other val-ley partners to host the 12th Annual Back to School HealthFair. This year’s event will be held at the new state-of the-artGaston Middle School and kicks off a month of excitementleading up to its official opening on August 18.

“After more than 35 years, southwest Fresno will receive itsown middle school and the first Fresno Unified School basedHealth and Wellness Center. We couldn’t be happier to cele-

brate with the community for this, our 12th annual event,”shared Yolanda Randles, Executive Director of West FresnoFamily Resource Center.

The event is being held in collaboration with the local busi-ness community, schools and community based agencies fo-cuses on increasing school readiness, health and nutrition inorder to reduce barriers that hamper a healthy start to theschool year.

This annual event is the premiere back to school event that

provides access to backpacks, school supplies, no cost healthscreenings (i.e. immunizations, dental, vision) health education,information and resources about students safety, higher educa-tion and employment. Every school year the start of the schoolyear is delayed for many students because they don’t not havethe proper immunizations, physical examinations or school sup-plies.

This event helps fill that void for more than 2,000 disad-vantaged K-12 students and their families.

WHAT: West Fresno Family Resource Center- Fresno Unified Health Fair and Backpack EventWHEN: Saturday, August 2, 2014 • 9:00 a.m. – 12 noonWHERE: Gaston Middle School • 1100 E. Church Ave

Contact: Micheline Golden • [email protected] • (559) 457-3653


12th Annual Back to School Health Fair andBackpack Event Hosted at Gaston Middle School



To Report News or submit articles: Call (559) 709-5948 - facebook.com/thehmongtribune - Email: [email protected]

the hmong tribune july 2014

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