The young Hmoob (Hmong) professional knows what it’s like to be an outsider and need help.

When she was 10 years old, her mother and her four younger siblings took flight from a refugee camp in Thailand.

This chance at a new future came to fruition when the family landed at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport in 1994.

For Pa Thao, this opportunity provided seemingly unlimited opportunities compared to what was imaginable in the Thai camp. The trip for a better life did come at an emotional cost.

“We left my father behind,” Thao said. “My family had the opportunity to some sooner but he was hesitant to come to the United States.”

She said his hesitancy came from his undying hope to return to Laos, rebuild and live out the life he always imagined.

Without her father, Thao and her family arrived in Eau Claire with no idea what their next move would be. That’s when Thao’s future came face-to-face with her.

“Once we arrived, we needed help settling in,” Thao said. “That’s when I first was introduced to the HMAA.”
This was Thao’s first encounter with the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association. Now 22 years later, Thao is the organization’s Executive Director.

The association was formed in 1982 and its direction and goals have changed over the years.
Thao described the original mission as assimilation. The organization made efforts to help families find suitable living arrangements and adjust to western culture.

“Since then, we’re less of a settlement agency and more of a prevention and education service,” Thao said. “It’s changed quite a bit in the sense that we’re no longer providing refugee services. We look to make families more sufficient by helping them with jobs as well.”

She said the organization takes many approaches to try to best aid those who need it. In the Chippewa Valley, one of the main services provided is food aid.

Thao said in the past few months, the association has helped more than 50 households including more than 100 children and 50 elders.

“We see a lot of low income families and being food insecure stigmatizes a lot of people,” Thao said. “Especially with our community, they don’t like people to know that they can’t buy food for their families.”

Thao said she’s passionate about this facet of the organization because she believes once you can provide people in need with food, they can spend their disposable income elsewhere to help their families.
The group deals in other types of food as well, such as canned goods.

“Food is one of our top contributions” Thao said. “…but we offer domestic violence assistance as well as sexual assault work while seeing to the needs of our youth and elders.”

Thao stressed the importance of looking out for the elders, especially after the homeland scam reaped money from unsuspecting victims over the past few years.

She referred to the homeland scam where Minnesotan Seng Xiong allegedly told many Hmoob elders he was working closely with the White House and United Nations to establish a new Hmong homeland somewhere in Southeast Asia.

Xiong was indicted in May on individual counts of wire fraud and mail fraud after receiving more than $1.3 million while victims were promised returns such as land, free healthcare, free education and government financial aid for elders.

Thao said the scam was successful because he used the elders’ biggest vulnerability against them – the prospect of returning home.

She said cultural preservation is the constant concern of Hmoob in the community. The organization has begun efforts to create a safe space to serve as a cultural center.

“As our community continues to assimilate to this culture and western society, we’re losing more traditional customs and the good things about being Hmoob,” Thao said.

Thao said the association has submitted a proposal to receive state funding during the next state budget cycle.
“We want to preserve things like the language and the arts,” Thao said.

She said the language gap is becoming more and more real with Hmoob youth in today’s society.
With factors such as American school curriculum and parents working multiple jobs, young Hmoob people are finding themselves speaking English much more often and slowly forgetting the language.

“It’s hard because within my family, my kids don’t speak Hmoob,” Thao said. “A lot of young folks like me, their kids don’t speak English. That’s what’s on TV and we struggle with that because it’s a lot easier to speak to your kids in English.”

Kee Xiong, 22, grew up in Eau Claire with less than three percent of the population being Hmoob.
Xiong found speaking both languages to have its issues.

“Growing up Hmoob in the U.S., we had to learn English and were told a subtle hush when we tried to speak Hmoob because the other kids couldn’t understand,” Xiong said. “Over time, my Hmoob rusted and I could barely explain to my grandmother what I needed or what I was trying to do at home.”

The issue of traditional Hmoob families speaking their language only versus the community shunning Hmoob youth from speaking it will likely continue the language’s deterioration unless the community adopts a better sense of understanding.

Xiong said it’s hard for anyone, including Hmoob youth, to have a great understanding of their culture. It took Xiong until college to be well-informed on the culture, and he’s learning more every day.

He said he believes the greatest problem is the children growing up internalized.

“These internalized kids speak harsh about their own community without the proper knowledge and thus everyone else listening believes in them,” Xiong said. “Fortunately, a lot of families are still able to teach their kids about culture and are able to make their kids care more about it than I did.”