Milwaukee is really the only hometown I’ve ever known. I was born in Washington, DC, but I’m the youngest of five, and I was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back. Before I was one year old, we moved to Milwaukee so we could live closer to my dad’s family in Chicago. I …
I was born and raised in Wausau. My family’s story to America is one that is very similar to many folks in the Hmong community and other groups of people, including Afghan families – a story of sadness and sorrow that forced them to flee their homeland and start a new one in a new …
I was born in Taiwan, and my dad was a very poor preacher. When I was just a little tot, I remember my dad took my brother and me to the zoo in Taiwan. This was a huge treat for us. We saw something there that day we had never seen before—an American with blonde …
“It all began with my father smiling and saying, ‘Hello’.” Read More »
I was born in Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand in September 1976. I am the oldest of six children. Photos courtesy of Annie Vang When the Vietnam War ended in 1975, thousands of Hmong families were displaced from their homes. The Hmong people were recruited by the American military to fight in the war …
When I was in middle school, I did a project on Elizabeth Blackwell. I read her biography; she was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. I thought to myself, ‘Maybe I’ll do that someday.’ Then in eighth grade science class, we had to dissect a frog and I decided …
“I was interested in studying the history of my people.” Read More »
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press published ‘Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic’. In this series, we feature five writers who share their experiences as they explore hope in the era of Covid. Yia Lor contributed an essay to the book. I am from Chippewa Valley. I spent much of my childhood …
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press published ‘Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic’. In this series, we feature five writers who share their experiences as they explore hope in the era of Covid. Jamie Vue contributed an essay to the book. Being from a family of refugees grounds me and is where …
Oshkosh was a different world when I was growing up than it is today. We would walk eight blocks to school and back every day as a kindergartner and a first-grader, and there was no worry that someone was going to kidnap me. Photos courtesy of Colleen Bies Maybe we were just completely ignorant at …
“There is that one moment in your life that really changes everything.” Read More »
While fleeing a war-torn country during the Vietnam War, my parents lived in the jungle for three months, not having any food on hand Photos courtesy of Xiong Yang The only way to get food was to send my dad back to their village and dig up food that my mom had buried. It would …
I moved to the United States from the Philippines when I was young. I was always into music. I was in choir and studied piano and voice at a young age. I was really shy but knew I wanted to do music. Photos taken by Leslie Damaso I studied music at the University of Illinois …
“Home is where you have the most meaningful connections.” Read More »
I am a first-generation Hmong-American student. When I was 6-years-old, my family came to the United States as war refugees. In 1978, my parents came to this country with only their three children and the clothes on their back. Photo courtesy of Kaying Xiong, Ed.D. They believed so strongly in allowing their young children to …
“Education has always been an important part of our lives.” Read More »
I call Eau Claire home. I grew up in Elk Mound but was born and raised in Eau Claire. My Hmong-American identity really comes out on the weekends. Photo courtesy Tor Ger Billy Lor On the weekdays, I hang out with people my age. But, on the weekends, I hang out with people twice or …
