A Mural to honor the legacy of survival and blossoming of the Hmong Community in St. Paul, Minnesota

Suni Lee is the first American Hmong to become an Olympic gold medal winner. Raise your glasses and join me in chant. To celebrate her, Mwene Kajunju, a local artist from Liberia, painted a mural for the gold medal triumph. A fun piece of work to visit in St. Paul, Minnesota. The mural features Suni Lee in black and white colors with the exception of the golden medal that she holds and kisses with joy. "I made the country number one. I did it for my family, and to inspire all the little kids in my community." These are the words of Suni Lee honoring the legacy and future of the Hmong community in Minnesota, the second greatest settlement in the United States after California.

The Hmong community uphill battle to survive and blossom in the United States deserves more attention because is fascinating. To call it a legacy of war and survival is shortcoming but quite accurate in recent year. Those came in thousands to America seeking refugee after being labelled as traitors during the Secret Wars in Indochina due to siding with the United States backed guerrilla and monarchy - I cannot stop thinking on some similarities with the ongoing Afghanistan refugee crisis of those who allied with the United States. Thousands of Hmong fought with support from the U.S. against the Vietcong and Communist forces inside Laos.

The first Hmong family arrived in Minnesota on November 5, 1975. Minnesotans who even contribute to the resettlement efforts have never heard of the Hmong -some thought they were sponsoring Vietnamese refugees. There is some irony behind our blindness. The Indochina war was a part of a policy called "Secret Wars" by the United States government. Dozens of thousands of men were recruited into the CIA sponsored guerrilla and Laotian royal armed forces. 30,000 to 40,000 Hmong soldiers were killed in combat, this is an estimate of one-fourth of all Hmong men and boys at the time. 

Hmong people lead amazing co-op projects in Minnesota to achieve self-sufficiency. These co-ops from the 1980s introduced modern farming techniques, including the use of fertilizers and pesticides. although the programs ended by 1985, Hmong farmers who completed the training went on to rent or buy their own land. Many became successful participants in the many farmers' markets in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and suburban cities. Recently, younger and more educated Hmong Americans have begun to explore organic farming. In fact, I recently visited the Hmong Marketplace with the purpose of obtaining plants and herbs for my garden. I found myself at a colorful corner of St. Paul with the atmosphere of an open-air market Hmong market. I am delighted every time I found a reason to peregrinate to St. Paul. the Hmong village is another place worth visiting in St. Paul. 

Suni Lee's achievement also acknowledges the challenges that the first generation of Hmong settlers encounter. Literacy and education were low between Hmong youth at the time; however, Hmong Americans have made more progress in education than any other Indochinese group. This is dramatically true for Hmong women. Back in 1990, only 3 percent of women had completed a bachelor's degree, compared to 7 percent of men. Today, the number of women with bachelor's degrees has surpassed that of men. Overall, 19.9 percent of women and 15.9 percent of men have a bachelor's degree or above.

Suni Lee's particular history reflects the conflicting reality of immigrants eager for success against conservative values in the core of their community. Her achievements of today are due to her parents fearless efforts to have her daughter to pursue a career in gymnastics that was untold for a small Hmong girl. The mural was actually painted on the walls of one of the businesses of Suni Lee's family. I wished to talk with the people inside the store about the mural but it was too late when I visited today.

The words and message of Suni Lee were taken by a local raper called Lil Crush, who also wrote a tribute song called Suni Lee. The song is worth listening as it contains some of the words made by her to encourage the new generation of Hmong girls pushing forward to pursue their dreams:

"Reppin' gold on my neck like Suni Lee. I'm the greatest in the world, G-O-A-T. ... Put some gold on my girl's neck just like Suni Lee. ... Landed in Tokyo with them trained killers on my team. Fans screaming USA. We going make the world believe. You can be like Suni Lee. Yeah yeah yeah yeah. You can be like Gabby D. USA, yeah yeah. You can be like Simone B. ... Hard work, dedication, that's my legacy. G-o-l-d, that's my pedigree. ... Stuck to the plan. It's my chance to go down in history. I made the country number one. I did it for my family. And to inspire all the little kids in my community."

The Suni Lee's mural is currently located at the intersection of S. Robert Street and Sidney Street E in St. Paul, Minnesota.