Day 157: Hmong Refugee Mural, Fresno, California
📌APIA Every Day (157) - The Hmong refugee mural and exhibit, part of the Hmongstory 40 project, launched in Fresno, California, in 2015, commemorating 40 years of Hmong history in America. The exhibit reflects on the turbulent experiences of the Hmong people displaced from Laos starting in 1975 who sought refuge in Thailand. It features four rooms filled with text, photos, videos, paintings, sculptures, and artifacts that narrate the Hmong experience, documenting different phases: life in Laos before the war, the Secret War in Laos, the refugee experience in Thailand, and resettlement in the United States.
At refugee camps, individuals received identity numbers for processing before being relocated to countries like the United States, France, or Australia. This history is often disconnected from the memories of second and third-generation Hmong Americans. Hmongstory 40 aimed to collect as many refugee identity photos as possible to create a large mural, measuring 10 feet by 30 feet, featuring these photos. The mural and the rest of the exhibit were displayed with the hope of inspiring and reconnecting new generations of Hmong Americans with their past. Now that we are nearing 50 years of Hmongs in America, how can we best preserve their history and culture on a local, state, and federal level?
LEARN MORE:
NBC News: Documenting Forty Years of Hmong History in America
Community Alliance: Hmongstory40: Valley’s Hmong Citizens Celebrate 40 Years of History
Time of Remembrance – Bringing History Alive: Hmongstory 40 Fresno Grand Opening
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