The Hmong: An Overview of Their Twenty Five Years in America

Presenter: Dr. Kou Yang, Assistant Professor of Asian American Studies, CSU Stanislaus

Dr. Kou Yang is an Assistant Professor of Asian American Studies with California State University, Stanislaus. Dr. Yang has more that 15 years of experience in the fields of human services, including 13 years of social work practice in various social service settings with Fresno County Department of Social Services and Department of Mental Health. He earned his Ed.D. in education leadership from the Joint Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership of California State University, Fresno; and the University of California at Davis.

This paper is an overview of the 25-year-experience of the Hmong in America, emphasizing the Hmong’s acculturation progress and challenges. It will include an introduction to the Hmong, a brief discussion of their 25 years in America, an analysis of the Hmong’s struggle to adapt to life in America, their educational achievement, and their contributions.

The Hmong went from having a very high rate of welfare participation in the 1980s to being almost a self-sufficient community in 1999. From pre-literate society in the highlands of Laos, they now have more than 120 persons with doctoral degrees. Hmong students are found in many Ivy League institutions, including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. There are 8 Hmong persons holding tenured and tenured-tract university teaching positions. In 1992, the Hmong became the first former Indochinese refugee community to have an elected official in America. Currently there are three Hmong city council persons, in addition to other local elected officials. In the summer of 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton invited 11 Asian American leaders to the White House; one of them is a32 year-old Hmong. The annual sale of Hmong crops in Fresno amounted to about 35 million dollars, and there are approximately 7000Hmong strawberry farmers in Fresno County. The Hmong in Michigan own and operate more than 100 restaurants. On the other hand, the Hmong community continues to be a double minority and experience many social and economic difficulties. Youth gang and family problems continue to be issues of concern. The Hmong, like many other Asian Americans, do not escape discrimination and prejudice.