Plans take shape for first Hmong Community Center
Posters and art depicting Hmong culture hang on the wall of a classroom inside of Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park on Oct. 3.
Evan Frost | MPR News 2019
Hmong leaders in Minnesota are sharing plans for the first-ever Hmong Community Center. After receiving funding from the Minnesota Legislature, the Hmong 18 Council is now in the process of designing a community hub. Council President Paul Xiong joined MPR News Host Cathy Wurzer with the details.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: Here is something you might not know. According to recent census figures, there are more than 95,000 Hmong Minnesotans, 95,000 Hmong Minnesotans, with more than half of the state's Hmong residents residing in Ramsey County. Despite those numbers, there has not been a specific gathering place for Hmong Minnesotans until now. After receiving funding from the state legislature, the Hmong 18 Council is now in the process of designing a community hub. Joining us right now to share the plans is the president of the Hmong 18 Council, Paul Xiong. Paul, welcome to the program.
PAUL XIONG: Thank you for having me here.
CATHY WURZER: It is a pleasure having you here. When did you first get the idea to create a Hmong community center? It's something, as I mentioned, has not been done before.
PAUL XIONG: Yeah. So when I became president of Hmong 18 Council in 2022, and I realized that the Hmong people have come to the United States for almost 50 years but we still do not have a place that the Hmong people can come together. So I gathered the community leaders and Hmong 18 Council, and we were looking for funding. And early last year, we were able to talk to the elected official. And they were able to approve the $3 million for the Hmong community to build a Hmong community center for the Hmong people in the state of Minnesota.
CATHY WURZER: So because of, gosh, more than half of Minnesota's Hmong residents reside in Ramsey County, as I mentioned, which is home to the largest concentration of Hmong in the country, I'm going to assume that the new Hmong center will be in St. Paul somewhere?
PAUL XIONG: That's correct, yeah. So we are indeed in the process of purchasing a building in St. Paul. So hopefully, we'll get everything completed or finalized probably in the next couple of weeks or month. So, yeah.
CATHY WURZER: Why is it important for the community to have a central space to gather?
PAUL XIONG: Well, as you know, the Hmong community in 2022, there was a mother that drowned the three children. And then there are many murder-suicides in the Hmong communities. So the Hmong Community Center will serve as a hub for the Hmong community and will serve the population here to help the Hmong community resolve some of the issues that we have in the Hmong communities.
And the Hmong Center is very important to the Hmong community here to come together and to be a resource center for everybody. And this Hmong Community Center will not just be the Hmong community, but we're open to the larger community as well, so.
CATHY WURZER: So you hope to focus on some of the mental health programming at the Hmong Center?
PAUL XIONG: Correct, yeah. So that would be one of the programs that we focus on. And so the Hmong Center will have many resources in that the Hmong Community Center will be a hub. This would be community resources. And the Hmong Community Center will have community meetings, clans and family engagement hub resources, and also will house the cultural, historical preservation and collections that will be included among cultural preservation archives, collections, and museum.
And we'll also provide social services. And that will include community programs, social service cultural training, mental health, and domestic violence classes, and youth programming. And the center will also host educational, career, and nonprofit services. It will be job training, career exploration, and a nonprofit organization hub for the Hmong communities.
CATHY WURZER: That's a lot. Now, I understand, as you mentioned, that you received some funding from the state legislature last session. But you still need to raise money. Is that right?
PAUL XIONG: That's correct, yeah. So we have to match 20%, which is $600,000. The state appropriated $3 million for the Hmong Council to build or construct a Hmong Community Center. And 20% of the $3 million, that would be $600,000. So we are in the process of doing the capital fund raise to match that right now. And we are asking the communities, the Hmong communities and the larger communities, for help at this point, so.
CATHY WURZER: Well, we wish you well. Thank you so very much. And by the way, when do you think you might open?
PAUL XIONG: We are thinking about probably in 2025, at the end of 2025.
CATHY WURZER: All right. Best of luck. Thank you, Paul.
PAUL XIONG: Thank you so much for having me here. Thank you.
CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to Paul Xiong, the president of the Hmong 18 Council.
PAUL XIONG: Thank you for having me here.
CATHY WURZER: It is a pleasure having you here. When did you first get the idea to create a Hmong community center? It's something, as I mentioned, has not been done before.
PAUL XIONG: Yeah. So when I became president of Hmong 18 Council in 2022, and I realized that the Hmong people have come to the United States for almost 50 years but we still do not have a place that the Hmong people can come together. So I gathered the community leaders and Hmong 18 Council, and we were looking for funding. And early last year, we were able to talk to the elected official. And they were able to approve the $3 million for the Hmong community to build a Hmong community center for the Hmong people in the state of Minnesota.
CATHY WURZER: So because of, gosh, more than half of Minnesota's Hmong residents reside in Ramsey County, as I mentioned, which is home to the largest concentration of Hmong in the country, I'm going to assume that the new Hmong center will be in St. Paul somewhere?
PAUL XIONG: That's correct, yeah. So we are indeed in the process of purchasing a building in St. Paul. So hopefully, we'll get everything completed or finalized probably in the next couple of weeks or month. So, yeah.
CATHY WURZER: Why is it important for the community to have a central space to gather?
PAUL XIONG: Well, as you know, the Hmong community in 2022, there was a mother that drowned the three children. And then there are many murder-suicides in the Hmong communities. So the Hmong Community Center will serve as a hub for the Hmong community and will serve the population here to help the Hmong community resolve some of the issues that we have in the Hmong communities.
And the Hmong Center is very important to the Hmong community here to come together and to be a resource center for everybody. And this Hmong Community Center will not just be the Hmong community, but we're open to the larger community as well, so.
CATHY WURZER: So you hope to focus on some of the mental health programming at the Hmong Center?
PAUL XIONG: Correct, yeah. So that would be one of the programs that we focus on. And so the Hmong Center will have many resources in that the Hmong Community Center will be a hub. This would be community resources. And the Hmong Community Center will have community meetings, clans and family engagement hub resources, and also will house the cultural, historical preservation and collections that will be included among cultural preservation archives, collections, and museum.
And we'll also provide social services. And that will include community programs, social service cultural training, mental health, and domestic violence classes, and youth programming. And the center will also host educational, career, and nonprofit services. It will be job training, career exploration, and a nonprofit organization hub for the Hmong communities.
CATHY WURZER: That's a lot. Now, I understand, as you mentioned, that you received some funding from the state legislature last session. But you still need to raise money. Is that right?
PAUL XIONG: That's correct, yeah. So we have to match 20%, which is $600,000. The state appropriated $3 million for the Hmong Council to build or construct a Hmong Community Center. And 20% of the $3 million, that would be $600,000. So we are in the process of doing the capital fund raise to match that right now. And we are asking the communities, the Hmong communities and the larger communities, for help at this point, so.
CATHY WURZER: Well, we wish you well. Thank you so very much. And by the way, when do you think you might open?
PAUL XIONG: We are thinking about probably in 2025, at the end of 2025.
CATHY WURZER: All right. Best of luck. Thank you, Paul.
PAUL XIONG: Thank you so much for having me here. Thank you.
CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to Paul Xiong, the president of the Hmong 18 Council.
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