End of Vietnam War 50 years ago also was bitter-sweet birth of American-Hmong communities
MSU School of Journalism Bias Busters is actively helping to raise awareness of these U.S. allies’ lives as Americans over the past half century
By JOE GRIMM
Founder of the MSU School of Journalism Bias Busters series
Hmong-Americans nationwide are looking to conferences in California that signal a significant anniversary in the United States: 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War and the arrival of Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia. On May 2-3, Fresno will host the second of these curriculum conferences at the Piccadilly Inn Airport.
Immigration usually happens gradually with arrivals spanning decades. For Hmong people, however, arrival in the United States was compressed into a small window driven by the threat of death.
We can trace most Hmong immigrants to 1975 when the United States withdrew from Vietnam. It had to evacuate its Hmong allies and their families to save them from being overrun by communist soldiers.
The low profile of Hmong people was intentional. They had been recruited by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to fight the Viet Cong in Southeast Asia in a “Secret War.”
When the United States withdrew from Vietnam, it evacuated Hmong allies and their families to save them from being overrun by communist soldiers. Some escaped to refugee camps. Tens of thousands died.
The refugees were resettled in disparate places from California to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina. They arrived with little of the education, money or connections that have helped other immigrant groups. They were cut off from beliefs that prioritize locations and from their klans.
The first Hmong History and Cultural Studies Conference was held in February in Merced, California. More than 200 educators and community members participated.
They learned about more than 50 lessons that may be used in classes about history, ethnic studies or social studies.
The curriculum can teach students about their Hmong neighbors and preserve the culture among Hmong youth, as the early arrivals are growing older.
One of the planners was Merced School Board Member Tsia Xiong, who came to the U.S. from Laos as a refugee in the 1980s.
The Merced Focus quoted him as saying, “Hmong were not being recognized throughout history, and we were very invisible in the public eye. Even our neighbors don’t know who we are. They think we’re just Chinese. Having educators spread the word that Hmong is totally different than any other ethnic minority, I think that says a lot about the curriculum.”
The first conference attracted people from California, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Michigan State University contributed hundreds of copies of “100 Questions and Answers About Hmong Americans: Secret No More.” The guide was supported by Michigan Humanities. A third conference is planned for Sacramento next spring.
Get one of these books for yourself and see how far our Hmong neighbors have come in just 50 years!
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