What happened in 2011 and what stood out most for you? 18XEEM looks back on a year of loss, triumphs and most discussed stories of 2011! Tell us what you think in the comments area below, or let us know what else should have made our Top 10.
- Former leader General Vang Pao dies on January 6 and a statue is unveiled to commemorate his life on December 28. TIME magazine names Vang Pao one of the “TIME’s People Who Mattered in 2011“
- Hmong National Conference resumes after a year on hiatus in St. Paul, MN on April 22
- Brothers Abel Vang and Burlee Vang Win 2011 Motion Picture Academy Fellowship.
- Thousands of Christian Hmong protestors demand religious freedom in Vietnam
- Phagna Touby Lyfoung honored at Lao, Hmong and American Veteran Memorial on May 30 in Sheboygan, WI
- Fresh Traditions holds successful fashion show for the fifth year in a row on October 7
- Jerry Yang releases book “All In” in July
- Non-Hmong singing contestant wins big at Hmong New Year in Fresno, CA
- Community members rally at KDWB Studio on April 15 in response to racist remarks made on the radio show
- All-star high school football players featured in Sports Illustrated’s November issue
In 2006, a few concerned individuals who wanted to see a change in the cycle of troubled teens, got together and formed Hmong Haib Heev. Today, HHH is a well-known youth-led organization that provides an athletic outlet for the Asian-American community across Metro Detroit. HHH organizes sporting events such as the Motown Throwdown, Hmong Madness Basketball, and Volleyball tournaments. One of HHH’s mission is to “build unity in the Asian community by hosting sporting events to keep teens and young adults stay off the streets.” In English, the group’s catchy name translates to “Very Cool” Hmong.
A spokeswoman for Clovis Community Medical Center confirmed Thursday, January 6, 2011 that revered Hmong leader and former general Vang Pao from the Royal Army of Laos died Thursday after being hospitalized for about 10 days at Clovis Community Medical Center.
Read The GVP Phenomenon, originally published on Feb 10, 2010.
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Dear Reader,
An exciting new year is ahead of us. To celebrate the new year, we reflect back on our past and analyze the changing facets of our culture. In this issue, we cover stories like naturopathy as a way of life; autism and the complex relationships and practices involved in weddings. We also have an inspiring story from the perspective of a teacher —and a constant learner, and the children who will one day become our future. I invite you to join in the discussion in our forum and give us your honest opinion.
As always, I hope that you will be inspired to write your own story and share it with us.
Yia Mua, a Hmong Legend speaks about his life in and out of the spotlight with 18XEEM.
This interview was published in the July 2007 issue of 18XEEM.
Where were you born?
I was born in Laos on May 18th. Laos fell to Communism on May 15th. Basically, two days after I was born, we left Laos. I came to Thailand and we were over there for 6 months. In 1975, we came to the US. We were the first wave of Hmong immigrants to come over.
What have you been doing?
I’ve been retired for about two years from fighting now. Currently, I’m in financial services. I do real estate mortgage and financial planning.
How did you get into Muay Thai Kickboxing?
It was kind of like a dare. Laughs. I’ve always been in martial art –since I was 9, when I started training. I had a childhood friend who was doing Chinese kick-boxing, eventually he ended up being my trainer. He started competing first though and I would watch him fight, and I liked it. Then when I was 18, I started fighting amateur. At 19, I turned professional.
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