10 Essential Books About the Immigrant Experience
A Hmong refugee family with a severely epileptic child, Lia Lee, lands up in California, and so begins the struggle between her well-meaning American doctors at a local hospital and her loving family and wider Hmong spiritual community about how best to …
Have an issue with Merced? Town Hall meeting set for Thursday
Eighth St. Interpreter services are available for Hmong and Spanish speakers. The meetings will be streamed live on the Internet. A link to the meetings is on the city’s website, www.cityofmerced.org; they will be shown on Channel 96 on Comcast as well.
The Hmong people prefer shamans over doctors. So one hospital decided to provide both.
When your culture doesn’t believe in medicine, how can a hospital bridge that gap and provide health care when you really need it? That was the Hmong community’s dilemma when they resettled in Merced, California. Originally from the rural mountains of …
Sacramento middle school student dies following breathing problems in P.E. class
Ballard described Lee as a “typical middle school girl” who enjoyed music, makeup and art. Lee also participated in cultural Hmong dances within her community, Ballard said. “She was the kindest, sweetest young lady and we are really missing her …
Three town hall meetings set in Merced in February
Gang violence and other crimes are also common topics. Interpreter services are available for Hmong and Spanish speakers at all three meetings. Comments and ideas help the city council and staff prepare the annual budget and address issues in neighborhoods …
Where to road trip for refugee history – and food – in Northern California
In the Central Valley, Hmong, Mien and other refugees hailing mainly from the Southeast Asian country of Laos have settled in cities such as Merced and Fresno and brought their foods and festivals with them. One spot for pho, papaya salad and other …
Report: California’s Asian Americans and Latinos Shut Out of Political Process
Whites are more than five times as likely as Cambodian and Hmong Americans to do so. Even though Latinos and Asian Americans combined are a majority of California’s adult population, they account for only a quarter or a third of the participating …
Parents of Fresno Unified students will have a new way to stay updated with on-campus emergencies
The texts come in either English, Spanish, or Hmong. “Because a text message only allows for a 160 characters, our messages will be brief but will provide details and any necessary instructions,” said Nelson. The district wants to encourage parents or …
Fresno faith leaders denounce Trump’s refugee plan
The Rev. Natalie Chamberlain of United Christian Church said everyone should welcome the latest wave of refugees just as the Hmong and other communities were welcomed. She said turning our backs on these people is not an American value “and certainly not …
UW-Green Bay helps others see immigration through a different lens
The films explore: a Syrian refugee camp an undocumented Latina pursuing the arts in California and the odyssey of a Hmong family who waits in a Thai refugee camp before eventual settlement in the U.S. The one-person theatrical performance tells the true …
California’s Future Rising Stars Millennial roundtable: Young leaders say California is on the right path
Mai Yang Vang, The daughter of Hmong refugee parents, was recently elected to the Sacramento City School Board – the first Hmong elected official in Sacramento. She is the Community Affairs Director for Sacramento Mayor Pro Tem Larry Carr and an adjunct …
Hot food, more Amtrak and a Brexit update – your Morning Scoop
Embrace the memory, folks: There’s more chill, rain and snow on the way. • Fresno Unified, a school district teacher and the Valley’s Hmong community are caught up in a bitter legal fight over defamation vs. free speech. • A Porterville High School …
Did Fresno Unified let speaker harass teacher? Or did free speech rules prevent action?
The lawsuit accuses Xiong of identifying Vue as a teacher and harassing her on the Internet and in the Hmong media, starting in April 2014. His audience was “the Hmong community throughout the world, including Fresno County,” the lawsuit says.
Hmong culture takes center stage in exhibit at Chico Museum
Leaders for a Lifetime, a youth academic outreach program at California State University, Chico, will open the “We Are Hmong: We Are Your Neighbors” exhibit at the Chico Museum 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15. While admission to the exhibit is free, Sunday …
Around the Valley: Updates on nonprofit work
Shaw Ave. Vong Mouanoutoua is a 2012 State Assembly candidate and a Fresno State professor and will speak on “Hmong: Conservative Roots, Liberal Indoctrination.” The luncheon costs $20. Details: 559-292-5414, www.fresnorepublicanwomen.org/register.shtml.
The Rumpus Poetry Book Club Chat with Chris Santiago
We had our son in a Japanese Immersion when we lived in California, and it was fantastic. Unfortunately there isn’t one in the Twin Cities (Korean, Chinese, Hmong, lots of others, but no Japanese) Brian S: I liked that you crossed languages, and that …
The Hip-Hop Dance Craze Born in Fresno: Popping
“Everybody talks about Fresno when it comes to B-boy and the Hmong community,” says James Vang. He grew up in a rough area in the ’90s and stayed away from gangs by breakin.’ He says Hmong B-boys made a name for themselves in Fresno and then spread …
Misrepresented farmers offer us much more than food
The California farmer is the Hmong person who has unlocked the secrets of the California row crop. This farmer now provides us with the most beautiful array of flowers and fare. We can thank them, as well as others, for Thursday and Saturday markets here …
