Hmong community leaders share thoughts on education, economy and politics

Minnesota’s Hmong community has grown and changed since the first Hmong refugees arrived in the Twin Cities in the 1970s.

In 2020, you’ll find multiple Hmong members of the state Legislature, a college prep charter school in St. Paul that specializes in meeting the needs of Hmong students and hundreds of businesses owned by Hmong men and women — so many that they have their own chamber of commerce.

But Minnesota’s Hmong community still lags behind other groups when it comes to household income, and discrimination and misinformation about the ethnic group persists.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with three leaders in Minnesota’s Hmong community about education, the economy and politics and what’s being done to address remaining disparities.

Guests:

• Yao Yaj is executive director of the Minnesota Hmong Chamber of Commerce.

• Cecelia Lee is director of counseling and student services at Hmong College Prep Academy in St. Paul.

• Rep. Kaohly Her is a DFL member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 64A.

Use the audio player above to listen to the program.

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