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STORY: “Telling our Stories”
Tou SaiKo Lee, a Hmong artist and activist, was born in a refugee camp in Thailand.
Growing up, Tou faced bullying and discrimination because of who he was. Lack of
self-worth later led him to gangs and then a juvenile institution. Poetry, spoken
word, and hip-hop changed his life. He is now proud to be Hmong and is working at
Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT) to promote creative expression among Hmong
youth and raise awareness about Hmong history and genocide of Hmong people in Laos.
Tou’s story is an example of how creative expression can be a key to continuing
education.
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| Key Terms |
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| Courage |
Genocide |
| Hmong |
Juvenile Institution |
| Oppression |
Refugee |
| Refugee Camps |
U.S. Secret War in Laos |
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Click here to take a Survey
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| Before Viewing |
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What do you already know about Hmong people and their history? Why did they come to the United States? What are the social and economic challenges they have to face in their new home?
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| After Viewing |
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- What challenges do the Hmong face in their new home?
- What did Tou Lee have to deal with growing up as a Hmong American?
- What does he mean when he says he didn't "have anything going for me in my life"?
- What does he think was the reason for his involvement with gangs?
- What helped Tou change his life? Why is it important to Hmong Americans to tell their stories?
- What is CHAT's mission? What does Tou work to achieve through CHAT?
- Why does Tou feel the need to work closely with artists from other ethnic and minority groups?
- How can creative expression be a key to continuing education?
- How does success or failure of one segment of the population (e.g., Hmong) affect all of us?
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| Suggested Activities |
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Hmong in Minnesota
Invite representatives from a Hmong community or a non-profit organization that works with Hmong immigrants and refugees (e.g., Neighborhood House, www.neighb.org) to speak to your audience.
Provide brief background information on the history of the Hmong and the reasons they had to flee Vietnam and Laos. Emphasize the fact that the Hmong were fighting with the United States and often lost their lives to save American pilots. Provide information on the situation of the Hmong people now, both in the U.S. and in Laos and Thailand. Hmong who stayed in Laos have to hide in the jungles for the fear of persecution. Many have been killed or "disappeared" when they came out of the jungle. Many younger Hmong were born in refugee camps; some have been relocated to other countries, and many have been living in the camps uncertain of their futures.
Panel discussion will work best for this topic. Have each member of the panel speak for a few minutes about Hmong history, the way Hmong people live in the United States, and the challenges and successes they are experiencing in their new country. Then invite questions from the audience.
- Resources
For general information about the Hmong:
Hmong 101 Presentation of the Hmong Cultural and Resource Center of Minnesota www.learnabouthmong.org/presentation/hmong101_files/frame.htm
For personal accounts of Hmong refugees in Thailand go to: www.rebeccasommer.org/documentaries/Hmong/index.php
All copyrights reserved by Rebecca Sommer (Adult supervision might be necessary due to graphic content).
For the history leading to Hmong relocation to the U.S.
"Why Are the Hmong in America?" Essay by Jeff Lindsay, Appleton, Wisconsin. (Published in FutureHmong Magazine, June 2002, pp. 14-15.) www.jefflindsay.com/hmong.shtml
William Colby, the Hmong and the CIA By: Amoun VANG SAYAOVONG www.hmongnet.org/hmong-au/hmongcia.htm
Participants can also review research data and publications of the Hmong Cultural Center at www.hmongcenter.org
Other useful sites:
Twin Cities Compass www.tccompass.org
Mind the Gap Report www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2005/10cities_sohmer/20051027_mindthegap.pdf
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