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Hmong students share culture through drama
 Media Credit: Leslie Andres/News Editor Hmong Student Organization President Solomon Lo dresses up in drag for the �Miss Hmong� contest Saturday in Atwood Ballroom. Lo was later �crowned� the winner during the play at the organization�s Hmong Night.
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 Media Credit: Leslie Andres/News Editor Kathy Vang tells her �grandson,� Tang Lee, about a traditional Hmong woman�s role in the family during the Hmong Night play Saturday.
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The Hmong Student Organization devoted Saturday night to helping the campus community reach an understanding about their cultural roots and their experience in the United States during the third annual Hmong Night.
The night began with a play featuring a grandfather with traditional beliefs and a very Western-influenced grandson. The grandfather gave his son a cultural lesson, reminding him to remember to respect his elders as he grows up, letting him know about the importance of Hmong New Year for young Hmong people and teaching him about religion, weddings and marriage.
The play also showed some of challenges Hmong Americans may face in maintaining their two identities while living in the United States.
Tzong Chang, a junior whose family migrated from Laos to the United States in 1980, just one year before she was born, is aware of the challenges. When her family left Laos in search of new opportunities, eager to get away from the war, they left behind many of their relatives.
"The hardest part is trying to live in both worlds and finding the balance," Chang said.
Now, as the vice president of HSO and a student at SCSU, Chang believes it's important to expose fellow Minnesotans, and particularly other SCSU students, to the Hmong culture.
"I think it's nice to promote our culture to others, because it's not well known," Chang said.
The students took a break in the middle of the show for a meal catered by Asian House. After the well-received dinner, the Hmong student association presented Hmong New Year, with everything from a humorous Miss Hmong competition to Hmong dances to songs with lyrics entirely in Hmong. Fue Khang, freshman was very impressed with the outcome of all aspects of Hmong night.
Khang was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, migrated to Wisconsin as a 4-year-old and has been in Minnesota for the past six years. As the one minority student in his class at school where he was immersed in English as a Second Language courses, he often felt out of place.
"I was young and no one else at school looked like me. (It was hard) for me to be able to speak in my language," Khang said. "So the only time I really had a chance to speak Hmong was at home."
Khang, the most fluent speaker of English in his family, was able to help with tasks like translating letters from the bank and calling to make appointments for his family members when they needed to see a doctor, as he grew up.
"When people approach me, I'm really open," Khang said. "(If I had to start beginning to explain what Hmong means) I'd say we're originally from China, but went to the mountains in Laos and we're scattered all over Asia, and that we're a distinct (ethnic) group."
Junior Panhia Yang is concerned about the stereotypes that people have about her culture.
"People think that we're all fish eaters, sometimes they think we're job stealers and sometimes a few individuals (who may do bad things) are what represent the entire Hmong community," Yang said.
Yang stressed that these ideas are not necessarily true.
"We are a diverse group and Hmong culture has been in the United States for more than 25 years; it's changing so much it's incredible," Yang said. "It's important for people to know that stereotypes don't reflect everyone."
Sharon K. Sobotta can be reached at: [email protected]
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