To many American born citizens, 1975 is a year like any other. To the Hmong people, 1975 is the year the Americans lost the war in Vietnam. It is the year life as we know it can no longer exist.
If we stay behind in Laos, we can be sent to re-education camp where few return, and those that do, only in body. Their minds have been taken from them. If we go where the Americans go as promised to General Vang Pao, then it meant being taken from an 18th century rural area and thrown into the 20th century modern world. Is it a toilet or is it a well of drinking water? Is it a bed to sleep on, or something to look at, but not touch? Where is that world where the people are little and they live inside this little box call a TV?
Yes, we, Americans know who the Vietnamese are, but very few know what Hmong is and even fewer know that the Hmong were our allies, our friends. After more than 30 years, short of 40 by a mere 2 years, the History of the Hmong and how they came to this land of the US of A will finally be included in the text books we teach our children. A little late, but NEVER too late. Thank you to all those who made this happened.
Proud to be a Hmong American
http://www.hmongcontemporaryissues.com/archives/HistoryBill78.html
History of the Assembly Bill AB78
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Assembly Bill AB 78 has the purpose to introduce the "Secret War" (1961-1973) in Laos as a part of the curriculum in social sciences or in history at California Public Schools. The main part of interest concerns Hmong and other Southeast Asians' critical roles in the "Secret War", part of the Vietnam War, which is a part of the American History. It recommands to teachers from grade 7 to 12 to initiate students to this war. Veterans, experts as well as other existing documents will be sollicited to increase the awareness and knowledge of this historical event.
In December 2002, this Bill has been initiated in Fresno by California AssemblyWoman Sarah Reyes, District 31 (Fresno) in consultation with a group of young Hmong women. For the support of this Bill, there was a mobilization by Hmong community through radio talk shows, petitions, TV shows, public meetings and lobby. The main supportive organization was Hmong Educational Task Force with its President, Peter Vang, and its two very active members, Doua Vue -- who proposed the idea of this bill to Assemblymember Sarah Reyes--, and Pai Yang, activist. This organization with numerous supporters and volonteers, well-known leaders and committed students, have strongly organized the support: lobby at the State Capitol in Sacramento, dialog with Veterans, private fundraising for transportation .
Assembly Woman Sarah Reyes has initiated this bill for 3 main raisons: her first reason was political: she sank vote and popularity upon the Hmong community like any wise politician. The Hmong population represents 10% vote of the Fresno area. The second reason was feminist: she would like to enhance historical awareness among Hmong women, and the third reason was politico-educational: she acts toward minorities recognition, especially Hmong people at California schools : it helps to raise self-esteem among Hmong children: during 2001-2002, more than 8 Hmong teenagers have been committed suicide in the Fresno area.
Something needs to be done. It was certainly this Bill.
SUPPORTERS' REASONS TO HELP THIS BILL
When I collected signatures at various markets, many Hmong spontaneously offered to sign the petition, which was surprising to me. Because of my experience of researcher working within minorities community, I know that it used to be difficult to involve people. This discovery made me suppose that the bill AB78 is important for Hmong people. It answers to Hmong people's expectations from American politicians and leaders. The reasons why they supported the bill were:
*AB78 will decrease gaps between Hmong parents and children
*AB78 will decrease racism and cultural misunderstandi ng at school
*AB78 will increase self-esteem of Hmong students towards teachers and outsiders, and participation of parents towards schools so that children will feel confident to success
*AB78 will increase better understanding of each other's culture for better respecting each other,
*AB78 will increase the awareness of sharing the same values of peace and of mutual support because of knowing each other's contribution to this American Nation
*AB78 is important for children to remember the past so that they will know better how to build the future by not repeating the sames mistakesDIFFERENT STAGES OF PROGRESS
The Bill has been approved by
1.) the Assembly Committee on Education - PASSED: March 19, 2003
2.) the Assembly Floor - PASSED: April 1, 2003
3.) the Senate Committee on Education - PASSED
4.) the Senate Floor - PASSED
5.) and the Governor Gray Davis' Office - APPROVED
THE BILL AB 78 WAS AMENDED IN JULY 2003
PROBLEMS DURING THE UNFOLDING
A group of about 30 Green Hmong or Hmoob lees have written letter of opposition to oppose the Bill AB78. The reason they opposed the bill was that they wanted to add the word "Mong" as a complementary term to the official ethnonym "Hmong" in the following spelling "Hmong/Mong". The green Hmong is a sub-ethnic group of the groupe Hmong.
In the stage 3, the term 'Southeast Asian" was adopted to replace the term "Hmong" to avoid the internal conflict within the Hmong community. However, this replacement of the term "Hmong" by "Southeast Asian" has been already evocated by the Assemblywoman representative during the first meetings (Even before the issue of "Mong" came out) as a part of difficulty that we might face because it is not usual that a Bill only focuses on one ethnic group.This opposition has introduced visible consequences on the perception of Hmong as an ethnic group by Mainstream society in California. In the Central Valley, Hospitals or Public Institutions have removed the term "Hmong" as the official reference to the Hmong community, and replaced it by "Southeast Asian".Kao-Ly Yang (Nkauj Hli) Ph.D. Anthropology & Linguistics
(Coordinator for the support of the Bill AB78 from February to April 2003)
