On September 24th of this year, a segment on the Yellow Rain was aired by the NPR show Radiolab, and because of the controversy of the piece, the original audio file has been amended. Among it’s guests were Eng Yang, a Hmong veteran, survivor, and documenter of the Hmong genocide for the Thai government, and his neice, Kao Kalia Yang, an award winning Hmong American writer, who served as a translator for Eng. Radiolab’s primary objective was to investigate “a mysterious substance that fell from the sky”, that was believed to be a chemical weapon utilized during the Cold War. It was killing animals, crops, and people throughout the jungle of Laos. However, as the interview proceeded, the hosts and the other two guests, Matt Meselson and Thomas Seeley, both scientists, settled at the matter that it was bee defecation that was the main cause of the so-called “Yellow Rain”, not chemical weapons dropped off by enemy planes. As the interview with Eng continued, his story and first hand experience in the matter was callously questioned and, in the audio, one could even hear one of the hosts claim that Eng’s experience was “hearsay”. The interview abruptly ends with Kao Kalia sobbing, saying, “He [Eng] agreed to do this interview because you were interested. What happened to the Hmong happened, and the world has been uninterested for the last twenty years…..We can play the semantics game, we can, but I’m not interested, my uncle is not interested…. I, I think the interview is done.”
“April 30, 1975 - In the early hours of the 30th, the last helicopter to evacuate US officials and some South Vietnamese allies pulled out, and not too longer after, Saigon fell to the Vietcong. So as we remember the US soldiers and the war that the US didn’t win, let’s not forget the Vietnamese refugees, the Hmong who were abandoned despite their assistance to the CIA, the rise of the Khmer Rouge because of the US bombings in Cambodia and its aftermath, etc. The Vietnam War has a huge grip on the American conscience, and what we learn in textbooks that does not do justice to the million of lives who have been impacted by war, both here and abroad.
This picture by Hubert Van Es captures a helicopter on an apartment building rooftop in downtown Saigon where CIA employees were housed. Though the setting has been mistaken to be the US Embassy in South Vietnam, it essentially gives the sense of desperation that was rampant among the South Vietnamese this time 38 years ago.”
Donate to SASC Summer Institute 2013
Please donate to SASC SI here.
The Southeast Asian Student Coalition’s (SASC) mission is:
“To unite Southeast Asian Communities, particularly those bounded by the historical context of the Viet Nam War, and to address the economic inequalities, social injustices, and political under-representation that they face.”
SI is an all-expense paid, five-day educational program hosted at UC Berkeley that connects high school students and community members nationwide. We bring 36 high school students from all over the country to address Southeast Asian underrepresentation in higher education and low recruitment and retention rates.
20% of US population DO NOT have a high school diploma
20% of Asian Americans DO NOT have a high school diploma
Compare this to
38% of Vietnamese Americans, 50% of Laotian Americans,
54% of Cambodian Americans, 60% of Hmong Americans
DO NOT HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA
The US National Average for a Bachelors Degree:28.8%
US National Average for Asian Americans for a Bachelors Degree: 44%
While 7.5% of Hmong Americans and 9.4% of Laotian Americans have a Bachelor’s Degree.
By connecting students to their culture and history, we aim to foster young leaders and empower students to create social change.
Current High School Students grades 9-12,
If you identify as Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian/Khmer, Lu-Mien, Hmong, Hmoob or any other Southeast Asian ethnic, cultural identity, we welcome and encourage you to apply to this 5 day summer program opportunity!
The Southeast Asian Student Coalition Summer Institute (SASC SI) is a five-day program held at UC Berkeley that allows Southeast Asian youth to further learn and explore about their community, culture, people’s history, and self-identity.
You will also get the opportunity to meet other high school students from California and even students from out of state. You will be paired up with college mentors that will offer you guidance and support. Aside from travel-arrangements (which can be worked out), this program is an all-expense paid trip. You’ll get to live in the college dorms with other high school students, you’ll be fed delicious 3 course meals for 5 days, and you’ll get to experience what it’d be like to be a college student in a college atmosphere!
SASC Summer Institute is seeking motivated high school students with diverse experiences and backgrounds. Academic performance is not a factor in the acceptance of participants, thus, all are encouraged to apply.
SASC SI Mentee Applications have been extended and are now due at the end of this weekend Sunday; March 31, 2013!
Access the online Mentee application here: tinyurl.com/si2013app
You can also download the application off our site here.
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The Green Papaya is a community blog and online forum where the Southeast Asian community may share its stories. Its goal is to provide an online space that engages the SEA community, fosters voices within that community, and also raise awareness about that community. If you wish to submit a post,click here.
Current High School Students grades 9-12,
If you identify as Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian/Khmer, Lu-Mien, Hmong, Hmoob or any other Southeast Asian ethnic, cultural identity, we welcome and encourage you to apply to this 5 day summer program opportunity!
The Southeast Asian Student Coalition Summer Institute (SASC SI) is a five-day program held at UC Berkeley that allows Southeast Asian youth to further learn and explore about their community, culture, people’s history, and self-identity.
You will also get the opportunity to meet other high school students from California and even students from out of state. You will be paired up with college mentors that will offer you guidance and support. Aside from travel-arrangements (which can be worked out), this program is an all-expense paid trip. You’ll get to live in the college dorms with other high school students, you’ll be fed delicious 3 course meals for 5 days, and you’ll get to experience what it’d be like to be a college student in a college atmosphere!
SASC Summer Institute is seeking motivated high school students with diverse experiences and backgrounds. Academic performance is not a factor in the acceptance of participants, thus, all are encouraged to apply.
SASC SI Mentee Applications are due next week Friday, March 15th!
Access the online Mentee application here: tinyurl.com/si2013app
You can also download the application off our site here.
___
The Green Papaya is a community blog and online forum where the Southeast Asian community may share its stories. Its goal is to provide an online space that engages the SEA community, fosters voices within that community, and also raise awareness about that community. If you wish to submit a post, click here.
Hmong Clothes: The New Trend
The Hmong, a hill tribe that has its roots in the mountainous areas of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. The most current and significant event that greatly changed the lives of the Hmong was our participation in the Vietnam War. After the United States lost the war, the Hmong were abandoned to their own fate and was faced with persecution by the communist government of Vietnam. Villages were torched, men, women, and children were killed, and all their possessions were lost. There was no way out of this persecution but to run and leave the jungles of Laos, so they made their way to Thailand to seek refuge. Through the help of some American government programs, many of the Hmong were relocated. Some went to France, others to Argentina, but many came to the United States. Being an American born Hmong child, I tend to forget about the Hmong, or Miao, that live in China. Except, that isn’t the only thing forgotten as well. Slowly, but surely, many of the Hmong-American born are losing the knowledge to our very rich culture. I myself am one of those Hmong-American born.
After the war, the Hmong were easily forgotten by the mainstream world. The deeds that Hmong soldiers had performed during the war was left to gather dust and most definitely to be forgotten. From there the Hmong tried their best to assimilate into modern society and, at the same time, maintain their cultural practices which were, at times, very difficult to do. One of those very things that the Hmong are slowly losing is the skill to sew textiles, or paj ntaub. Back when many of the Hmong lived in villages, sewing was a necessary skill for the wives and daughters to know because had they not known how to sew, then the family would be without clothes. However, in this day and age, it’s much easier to produce clothes without the need to hand sew everything with one’s own hands. A lot of the clothes and embroidery sewn by the Hmong is very colorful and intricate and it varies from region to region where the Hmong live.
SASC SI Mentee Applications are out & accessible online! Say whatttt?
SASC Summer Institute is a 5 day, all-expense paid summer program that provides a safe and constructive learning environment. Participants will be matched with a college mentor who can offer guidance specific to a student’s needs. This program provides an exciting experience for students who are interested in pursuing higher education as well as exploring their cultural background. SASC Summer Institute is seeking motivated high school students with diverse experiences and backgrounds. Academic performance is not a factor in the acceptance of participants, thus, all are encouraged to apply.
Access the online Mentee application here:
tinyurl.com/si2013app
***Note: You willy have to download the file as a Microsoft Word by clicking on the top left.
Hais lus Hmoob mas~ ua cas tsis hais! Tsk tsk~
txawm tias zoo nkauj npaum cas, ntse li lawv haiv neeg, muaj hwjchim, nto moo, nrov npe, muaj nyiab, paub thiab tsis paub hais lus hmoob, los koj tsis muaj peevxwb los pab cov hmoob muaj kev sib raug zoo…hmoob tsis hlub hmoob, yuav tsis muaj leegtwb hlub hmoob.
I was browsing through Tumblr, Facebook, and Youtube…seeing friends, family, strangers, singers, Hmong meska actors and actresses, models, artist, blah blah and blah~ the lists goes on and on…every one yog hmong, muaj talent, muaj great potential…yet when they start to speak, it’s english, I’m like…”Oh..ua cas nws twb yog hmoob, tabsi nws tsis hais lus hmoob li, es hais lus meska xwb.” Even if the majority of the viewers might speak english, I think it is a great idea to speak hmong even if you should suck at it. I understand we live and breathe in a multicultural environment, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pop in some hmong, at least mix it with english from time to time, if you don’t know the word in hmong. LOL~ I’m not the best with my hmong, but I speak it to show my culture’s existence. I want it to survive among the million sea of voices that tries to drown us daily. I don’t care what you like, what you do, what you have, but at least speak the language that your mother and father gave you.
I’m sure we’ve all been told from out parents and OG’s that we should speak english when we go to school, but when we come back home, we should speak hmong. It seems like the reasonable thing to do, they are right~ No matter how much you have created and transformed yourself for the world to see, your identity is hidden when you diminish the words and voices of your ancestors. It is a curse that we bring to our culture and to our future generations. How can we preserve our culture when we know so little. Or maybe we know, but we are afraid to show it~ Other cultures flourish because they are true to themselves, they grow as one even if the world changes. But I see that Hmong people grow, but they break away from their roots. And no matter how much you try to bind it back together, glue it together, there is always a crack in the system. Fashion, taste, color, and the world might change, but I just hope that our culture won’t change to the point of no existence.
So today my fellow staff and I taught the children basic Southeast Asian phrases. We taught them how to say hello, goodbye, pardon, and please in Lao, Khmer, and Hmong.
They had a lot of fun and I can’t wait to bring in the traditional outfits for them next week :D






