Sheboygan South High students to honor Hmong veterans, culture with community presentation
SHEBOYGAN — The Hmong Student Organization at South High will host its first event to honor Hmong veterans and celebrate Hmong culture and history next week.
The Hmong Veterans Day Presentation will be held on Hmong-Lao Veterans Day May 14, which Gov. Tony Evers designated in 2021 as a way to honor and recognize the Hmong veterans who contributed to the U.S. military efforts in the Secret War. The CIA recruited Hmong people in neighboring Laos to fight Communist forces during the Vietnam War.
The presentation will not only honor Hmong veterans but explore other effects of the Secret War, like the impact on Hmong civilians who were displaced and separated from their families as they fled. Some estimates put the number of Hmong people who came to the U.S. from this conflict at the tens to hundreds of thousands.
This will be the larger context of a play HSO wrote for the presentation, following two families as they flee to the U.S. and adjust to living in a new place.
Though the play is fictional, HSO co-president and South senior Kelsie Vang said this is a story experienced by many Hmong families.
Vang said Hmong families may wonder “what could’ve been" if they stayed with their families in Laos. “But they were separated and moved to America. It's such a true story," she said.
Autumn Lee, HSO co-president and South senior, said the play could give the older Hmong generation more visibility, too, by sharing a story that could resemble their own.
Amanda Xiong, HSO public relations chairperson and South senior, said she wants students at South High to understand what Hmong people experienced during the Secret War.
“That's not hugely covered in the social studies class,” Xiong said. “From this, I just want them to learn about Hmong culture and how Hmong people came to America, because even though there's a huge Hmong student (population) here, a lot of people still don't really know how they came to the United States and what they contributed to the war.”
Sheboygan County has the fourth largest population of Hmong people in the state. Hmong people also account for more than 70% of the Asian American population in Sheboygan.
“I really hope that the South High community and the community as a whole learns about Hmong culture because it is a fascinating culture,” HSO adviser and South special education teacher Randall McAdoo said. “I hope that we are able to continue this tradition.”
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The presentation will feature a Hmong veteran guest speaker, play about the Secret War and more.
Images of Hmong people will be displayed as attendees arrive to the event, some depicting stages of them fleeing to the U.S.
The hour-long presentation will open with an introduction from McAdoo. The presentation guest speaker, Hmong Veteran Shua Yang, who was a First Sargeant in the U.S. Army’s military intelligence division, will follow.
After that, there will be an interactive Hmong language learning portion, a play called “Meet Me Under the Mango Tree” and a dance from the HSO Dance Team.
Contact HSO adviser to reserve a seat for the Hmong Veteran Presentation.
The Hmong Veterans Day Presentation will be at in the auditorium at South High School, 1240 Washington Ave., from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. It is open to the public and the South High community. A limited number of seats are available. Contact Randall McAdoo at [email protected] to reserve a seat.
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This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan South Hmong Student Organization to host Hmong veteran event
