UW-Eau Claire’s Multicultural Student Services (MSS) will highlight 50 years of Hmong legacies at a miniature exhibition this spring.
Beginning Wednesday, April 2, the breezeway in McIntyre Library will showcase a timeline of Hmong history at the university. The event will mark the 50th anniversary of Hmong people coming to the United States.
According to MSS Student Services Coordinator (SSC) and UW-Eau Claire alumnus Xia Xiong, who orchestrated the exhibit, the display will be available through April 4 and will kick off with several speakers from 1 to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The event is one of several Hmong culture celebrations taking place in the community this month. April is officially Hmong Heritage Month in Wisconsin, commemorating the arrival of the first Hmong family in Marathon County.
“There is a separate, overarching Hmong 50 exhibit in Eau Claire,” Xiong said. “However, this particular exhibition will focus primarily on how Hmong students have transcended through time, from the very first Hmong students to where we’re currently at.”
Keynote speaker and UW-Eau Claire Academic Advising Coordinator Ka Vang will open the event on Wednesday. Vang said she will be sharing her undergraduate experience in higher education.
A fellow UW-Eau Claire alumnus, Vang and her family came to the US from Laos in 1979 after the end of the Secret War.
Vang said she first became involved with the event when Xiong reached out with the idea of creating a book of interviews and stories from the first wave of Hmong students at UW-Eau Claire.
“The Hmong population is one of the largest, next to the majority of folks in Eau Claire,” Vang said. “We have been here a long time and still many people do not know who we are and why we are here.”
Vang said there are several key takeaways she hopes people will leave with after the event.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help, everyone needs help once in a while,” Vang said. “It doesn’t mean you’re weak if you ask for help. Once you are open to the idea of getting help, you’ll start to see the various support systems in place and that there are many, many people who want to help you become successful and graduate.”
Vang said it’s also important to maintain a strong support system.
“Always, always, and always create your own support system — no matter where you go,” Vang said. “These are the folks who care about you, will support you and want to see you succeed.”
In the current political climate, Vang said, now is more important than ever to educate the public about Hmong culture and other underrepresented groups.
“It’s important that we learn about each other. Support each other. Know each other. There’s so much fear out there, you never know what’s going to happen next,” Vang said. “Every day has been like waiting for the next disaster to be dropped.”
Xiong said she looks forward to seeing the mini exhibit come to life. The key piece that will be on display, she said, will be a full-length timeline of Hmong people’s legacy at the university, starting with the Hmong family in Eau Claire and going all the way up to the first Hmong graduates.
“I feel like the campus community will really appreciate the work that I’m doing, and I’m really proud to be hosting an event like this.”
Wojahn can be reached at wojahnal7429@uwec.edu.
