april... hmong heritage month!

hmong heritage month is a relatively new declaration in central wisconsin, recognized by my hometown of wausau, celebrated annually since 2004 during the month of april… marking when the first hmong family arrived in 1976; april 4th. as of 2011, the hmong population in marathon county is makes up of 12% of the city’s 38,500 residents – the highest percentage in the nation!

after the last wave of new [hmong] immigrants to our humble city during the mid 2000′s, the need surfaced to increase public awareness, and hmong heritage month was born! since its conception, free events focused around showcasing our culture, heritage and history (within annual themes) have been organized for the general public in hopes to educate and celebrate who we are… as well as help bolster the ties between the drifting generations within our own community.

...all made possible through donations, volunteers and fundraising initiatives. small scale; big impact!

this year's underlying theme communicates, we are one. peb yog ib pab... creating the opportunity to reflect on our past while looking toward the future, all the while preserving our present. and what a success the month has been!

with may right around the corner, we have just one more event before we conclude hmong heritage month for 2012 - our dinner banquet, on april 30th which will be held at the northcentral technical college.


i'll be co-emceeing this affair, which includes traditional entertainment and notable keynote speakers (including u.s. representative, sean duffy), as well as this year's scholarship recipients... and concluding it will be a reflection of this year's theme through the experiences from a local hmong/multi-racial family.

please do come out to show your support! thank you.