My father was just a child when he had to make the difficult decision to leave his dying mother in the jungle of Laos because she was too sick and weak to continue to run from communist forces. Learning my grandmother’s last words for the first time brought me grief and wisdom.
From a student, to a school administrative manager at Minneapolis Public Schools Hmong International Academy, to chairwoman of the St. Paul Board of Education, Xiong was an advocate for education.
They remind me that I am not alone — that I am living in space and time with individuals who have survived the unimaginable, who believe still in the goodness of people, and the value of being alive.
There’s no typical work day for Yao Yang, the director of the Hmong American Farmers Association Food Hub. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, but I definitely knew I wanted to be working on a farm.”
