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Keynote Speaker: The Honorable General VANG PAO

Following a fantastic lunch, the Honorable General VANG PAO, the keynote speaker, was proudly introduced by Long Yang, the conference Co-Chair. The General touched on many areas from the history of the Hmong to the Vietnam War, from the migration to the resettlement in the United States, and from adjusting life in America to the success of Hmong education. He was very pleased with the conference organization and the turn out of the conference's participants and the great educational achievement the Hmong have attained. He proudly announced:

"The most satisfied life I have is to be able to bring you young people here to have the opportunity to get education. After learning that we have a substantial graduated from higher education, I now have reached my dream because I know that the Hmong name will not disappear."

The General even went on to address Hmong social problems such as marrying young, customary matters, lack of cooperation and so on. He encourages young Hmong not to marry early so they can go on to higher education and be self-sufficient in life. He also stated that Hmong should not isolate each other or break from each other. If there is an issue, which causes the dividing, we should find ways to reconcile and be one.

Caucus Sessions & Floor Discussion
There were caucus groups in late afternoon. The caucuses were broken into five groups:

1. Parents and Community Leaders Group
2. High School Group
3. Bachelor Group
4. Master Group
5. Doctoral Group

1. Reunification
2. Love and Peace
3. Establishment of Hmong Higher Educational Organization

1. Reunification
   
   • Need to teach our children to be Hmong, not just by last name.
   • Should teach our children to learn Hmong culture and language.
   • Need Hmong club to get to know each other.
   • The old should respect the young and the young should respect the old.
   • The young generation should not give up their own power.
   • Need to work together to meet our goals and needs.
   • Know how to respect others.
   • Leaders shall be elected and for certain terms.
   • Accept who we are, no separation of religions.
   • Build trust to fill generation gaps.
   • Generations have different views - need to talk to each other.
   • Hmong educators should learn Hmong culture - need to lead the Hmong.
   • Fix our last names to have same spelling.
2. Love and Peace
   
   • Hmong should not need last names.
   • Parents must be good role models, be our children's teacher.
   • To help keep our culture.
   • We cannot erase our last names - everyone in this world has problems.
   • We parents should know our responsibility - teach our children of respect.
   • Do not pull group to involve in conflict or problems.
3. Establishment of Hmong Higher Educational Organization
   
   • Set up committee for education, culture, and social.
   • Need money to help.
   • Help each other, don't discriminate or choose face.
   • Conference should be held wherever Hmong live.
   • Parents will help if the young and well-educated lead the way.
   • Have to write down what to do next.
   • Organization committee must study Hmong culture.
   • Need grant to implement programs and help promote Hmong.
   • Students to get higher education.
   • Must work cooperatively with each other - especially with those that you trust.
   • Educational conference must be held wherever Hmong live.
   • Who is willing to be a Hmong leader?

1. Reunification
   
   • Keep the culture & respect parents
   • Follow the parents at home
   • Remember to respect yourself when outside of the home
   • Learn the American culture because we live here, but still have to learn the Hmong cultures and rituals.
2. Love and Peace
   
   • Learn Hmong language - write and read Hmong.
   • Learn Hmong History.
   • Do not be jealous of our Hmong leaders.
   • Do not divide ourselves by clans.
   • Respect ourselves and our own culture.
   • Education first, postpone marriage.
3. Establishment of Hmong Higher Educational Organization
   
   • More activities for Hmong youth in school.
   • Role models
   • Older Hmong students need to open up their minds to younger generation and be good examples.
   • Communication
   • Need to improve
   • Even our parents do not open to us, we need to open up to them.
   • The organization should set up grants and scholarships to motivate children to go to school.
   • Parents should motivate children to go to school and ask them what they learn in school.
   • Learn from mistakes
   • Let children go out and learn for themselves.
   • Take the initiative to educate yourself
   • Nobody else will do for you.
   • Parents do not understand that we try hard in school
   • What you do is the best so parents need to respect that.
   • If we each do a little to help to do one thing, we Hmong will achieve a lot of things.

1. Reunification
   
   • Get people involved.
   • Bring intellectuals to brainstorm ideas.
   • Lobby for more money to help with education.
   • Keep our culture.
   • Have informal meeting to create a network.
   • Understand politics and become proactive.
   • Get old people to adjust to new generation.
   • Focus on specific concerns.
   • Define common goals.
   • Respect one another.
   • Need more good communication.
   • Generate short and long-term goals.
   • Initiate a task force.
   • Create a retention center (community school).
   • Lead high school students.
   • Summary: Culture & customs, Understand political involvement, Communication, Short and long-term goals, Retention
2. Love and Peace
   
   • Need communication and trust.
   • Eliminate power struggles.
   • Be open-minded, humble, and honest, flexible, friendly.
   • Maintain Hmong values.
   • Reform values and culture.
   • Respect one another.
   • Identify priorities.
   • Have more cooperation.
   • Change Hmong activities.
   • Understand who and what Hmong is.
   • Understand socialization of Hmong male/female roles.
   • Need prevent and education.
   • No personal defense inferior.
   • Have training.
   • Need equality in genders.
   • Keep our culture and family values.
   • Know regulations.
   • Promote our language.
   • Make a Hmong directory.
   • Summary: Change attitude, Gender difference, Preserve culture, Family value, Freedom of religion, Honesty, Language promotion, Hmong educator directory
3. Establishment of Hmong Higher Educational Organization
   
   • Value in education.
   • Need money and qualified people.
   • Hold conference for parents/community leaders
   • Need role models, common hero, and mentor.
   • Need commitment.
   • Teach older people about possible services.
   • Plan and implement (action).
   • Program to prevent drug and alcohol.
   • Weekend school for kids.
   • Do not segregate classes.
   • Summary: Form national organization (passed), Leaders and parents conference, Prevent drug and alcohol, Action planning, Majority agree to form the organization

1. Reunification
   
   • Lower status among educators and leaders.
   • Must have better communication.
   • Major rule.
   • Remain neutral to unite Hmong.
   • Fairness and equal opportunity.
   • Learn Hmong culture.
2. Love and Peace
   
   • Form organization - Hmong Concerns.
   • Find a clear common goal or vision.
   • Learn and maintain culture and rituals.
   • Encouragement.
   • Interaction with young and old generations.
   • Hmong resource center.
   • Doing Hmong research.
   • Self respect.
   • Speaking your own language.
   • Respect self identity.
   • Talk about the basis of respect.
3. Establishment of Hmong Higher Educational Organization
   
   • Do more research before forming.
   • Services of the organization must consist of: Boy Scout, Building relationship between parents and youth, Scholarship, Remodeling our values, Usage of Hmong writings

Some of the positive comments about establishing this organization are:

1. The general public needs it.
2. Collect Hmong graduates data.
3. Promote educational and professional development.
4. Create a network & peer support.
5. Educate and train leadership skills.
6. Promote a better gap understanding between the old and young.
7. Create a scholarship fund.
8. Encourage more female involvement.
9. Form a research committee to study the Hmong issues.

These common goals are:

1. to maintain our heritage, culture, value, identity, and language,
2. to improve our social practice/skills such as lowering our personal or political status when we communicate among our intellectual leaders, educators, and citizens,
3. to be more neutrality and open minded leaders, parents, and educators to gain more respect, love, support, and trust from our family members, outsiders, and fellow Hmong citizens, and do not exclude our clans and genders, and
4. create a Hmong community resource center to do more research studies to evaluate our educational success and failures, to provide educational scholarship funds, educational activities, peer support and network, leadership training skills, and hold conferences for children and parents to attend and learn more about education, life, and work from our role models and successors.

The Honorable General VANG PAO's Reaction to Caucus Report:

1. General VANG PAO commended the reports from the caucuses that they were meaningful. He suggested that after the conference is written and reviewed, he would like to convene with some intellectuals and leaders to discuss plans for future activities.
2. There was a question on lowering power/authority. He urged people not to be too altruistic, but listen to other, accept other idea and perspective in order for the Hmong to have greater integrity and respect. He himself has done so.

Awards Presentation
Besides the many wonderful presentations and speeches of the conference, one of the most remembrance of this event was the time of recognition our college graduates by the Honorable General VANG PAO. The General presented to them three different Educational Certificates of Recognition These certificates were written in Laotian Scripts since Lao language is the official language where the Hmong of America came from. These certificates were solely signed and sealed by the General.

The followings are three different categories of certificates which awarded by the General:

The followings are additional certificates which jointly singed and given by General VANG PAO, the conference Chairperson, and the conference Co-Chairperson. These certificates were prepared in English.

Lastly, the Honorable General VANG PAO has been given a wonderful and meaningful plaque by the Conference Planning & Advisory Committees on behalf of all Hmong Students. The General proudly received it and gave a wonderful thanks to the group.

Evening Programs Presenter: Yeng Khang

Evening programs featured spectacular programs. It started by Yeng Khang, former higher educator, on the theory of being a perfect society and individual. He presented with a large chart full of theory somewhat similar to Maslow Heirachy of Needs. He stated that:

"In order for a person to be successful in life, he needs to have self-esteem, stable family, and love his people and the nation as whole."

Evening Programs Speaker: Colonel Ly Tou Pao

Colonel Ly Tou Pao, is one of the first Hmong who received higher education in Laos. He greatly complimented the conference Planning Committee for the job well done. He was delighted to be invited as a speaker for the evening program. He was also pleased to see many Hmong graduated from higher learning institutions. Back in Laos, because Hmong were involved in the war heavily, not many Hmong were able to get a higher education. Only a few were able to go to the West to get higher education. He was very pleased with the opportunity the Hmong were given so the young would be able to get the same education as other developing countries. Considering the short period the Hmong have lived in the United States, Hmong sons/daughters have graduated in the hundreds and thousands. He added:

"At first, I was worried because I was afraid that Hmong Children would have hard time to go to higher education, but now it is more than what I dreamed of."

Evening Entertainment: Classic Band and Guest Singers

Various talented and cultural entertainment was performed. It started out with the legendary song, Sib Pab Ciaj Vaj, by all guest singers such as Chao Thao, Song Vang Xiong, the Classic Band and others. The Chao Thao brothers sung a praising and saluting song in appreciation of the many Hmong graduates. Then, other songs were sung by Douglas D. Vue, Monica & Phillipe D. Thao, and others to praise General VANG PAO in recognition of his outstanding leadership. Poems and Hmong traditional songs were also sung wishing the Hmong to have integrity and prosperity. Refer to the agenda for the list of entertainers.

Conference Expenditures

The conference expenditures have been converted to Adobe PDF format, and may be found here. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader plugin, which may be found on Stout's software download page.

Conclusion

Since you have read through this report, you will have a better understanding of this historic event. As mentioned, the conference intentions were to bring Hmong intellectuals/scholars and leaders together to open dialogue and network; to discuss issues affecting the Hmong both in the United States and other countries; and to provide role models and directions for the young Hmong to follow.

This conference, at first, was thought to be regional but it ended up to be heard throughout the world. It had great interest by many news media. Long Yang, the Co-Chairperson, Dr. Mee Moua, and Dr. Tou Herr were interviewed by the Voice of America (VOA), an international broadcasting station. Questions and answers were covered such as the purpose of the conference, how many participants, how many Hmong graduated from college or university, and what is the future goal. Other news agencies such as St. Paul Pioneer Press, Hmong Tribune, Wisconsin Hmong Life also covered the conference in greater extent.

Considering the short duration of the conference, we were able to achieve a lot of things. There was great information from the speeches, caucuses, poems, songs, and cultural entertainment. There were issues from the conference requiring good attention, such as suggestions and recommendations from the five caucuses. Compelling and consensus suggestions requested the conference to be held yearly and continuously. However, the future conference and the direction to take are contingent upon the interests and commitments of the Hmong intellectuals and leaders.

This conference marked the first of a major step of unifying Hmong for better education, social and economic improvement, and political integrity. For better or worse the future of the Hmong to come will greatly be dependent on the understanding and collaboration of the Hmong in the United States and in other parts of the world.

"Kawm Txawjtse Yuav Tau Coj Hmoob Los Uake"