Fight for what's right

YPRESS MEMBER LOGIN

PRINT THIS PAGE
EMAIL TO A FRIEND
RELATED STORIES
MOST COMMENTED
ARCHIVE
MOST EMAILED
RSS FEEDS

FIGHT FOR WHAT'S RIGHT

April 16, 2000

Editor's note: In early March, Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura met with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., who promised quick action on the Hmong veterans bill. Minnesota is home to 70,000 Hmong.

When was the last time a newspaper story reported about youths fighting for their parents' rights?

Six girls in St. Paul, Minn., are doing just that. Cindy Xiong, 12; Mary Lee Vang, 15; Mai Xiong, 10; Samantha Lee, 13; Pa Nhia Lee, 14; and Sao Chang, 14 -- all of Hmong heritage -- have formed the Earth Day Club to help their fathers attain U.S. citizenship.

Their fathers were among the 45,000 Hmong recruited by the CIA during the Vietnam War for covert military service in Laos. After the war in 1975, their families fled from Laos to Thailand.

When military officers took control of Thailand in 1977, they revoked citizenship from those whose loyalty was in question, including many Hmong, who then emigrated to the United States, where they are now trying to become American citizens.

"During the Vietnam War, the United States asked the Hmongs to fight in the war with the United States in order for us to win. They said, 'If you fight for us, then we will help you out.' So a lot of the Hmong people fought in the war and lost their lives in the hopes that the people from the United States would help them out," said Kate Kelso, Earth Club adviser.

According to Kelso, these people want to be able to take the citizenship test in their native language so they can become Americans with the same rights and privileges of other veterans. But the requirement that they must take the U.S. citizenship test in English has handicapped them.

The girls believe their fathers are owed citizenship because of their military service. They also believe the men shouldn't have to speak English to be citizens in the United States.

"It is hard for Asian people just to learn how the law and how English work," Mary said.

"For the older people, I guess it's hard because they never got a chance to go to school and to learn the language. They don't understand the whole language as much as younger people do," she added.

It is especially hard for the Hmong to read and write English because until recently, the Hmong language was not a written one.

The girls did not set out to become activists. Two years ago, their parents brought them to a study group. Meeting three times a week, the adults prepared for the citizenship test while the children were engaged in other activities.

"We started talking and comparing. We found out all our dads had fought in the Vietnam War," said Cindy. "So we started talking more and more and we decided to meet every Tuesday and Thursday. . . . We've been together writing letters from that day on."

Named for the day on which it was founded, the Earth Day Club is advised by Kelso and Aleida Benitez. In addition to lobbying lawmakers by mail, the club decided it wanted to go to Washington to talk with legislators in person about the Hmong Veteran's Bill, which waives the English requirement.

Since 1996, U.S. Rep. Bruce Vento, D-Minn., has sponsored the bill, which would allow Hmong veterans and their spouses to take the citizenship test with the help of translators. The bill is supported by a majority of representatives but has died in committee. It is being sponsored again this year.

Before the girls could go to Washington to lobby other lawmakers to support the bill, they had to raise the money. For two years, they washed cars, worked at various events and sold items such as egg rolls and candy before they raised the $11,000 needed.

Besides their fund-raising struggle, they met some resistance from the adults in their community.

"In our Hmong culture, boys have more rights than girls. . . . Our parents didn't let us go to places alone," said Mary.

The girls worked hard to get the support of the Hmong elders in their community, who helped persuade their parents.

Cindy explained, "Women or girls are looked (at) lower than guys and boys in our Hmong culture. Guys can sometimes do whatever they want, but girls have to look at different things."

They managed to overcome the obstacles and arrived in Washington last August. But everything did not go according to plan.

"When they got here, . . . the promises that were made had not been kept," said Kelso.

The girls had arranged to meet with staff members of some of Minnesota's congressmen. Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., has supported the Hmong bill, but Sen. Rod Grams, R-Minn., has opposed it.

A representative from Grams' office furthered the girls' disappointment in the senator.

"She was actually really, really rude," said Cindy. "She was ignorant. She had no clue that we Hmong people were forced off the land that our parents were from.

"She said that Latin and other ethnic background people have blended in, and why can't we? And that made me feel kind of like, 'Oh, maybe we should blend in.' ''

Mary was angered that the aide had viewed them only with her eyes, not her ears.

"I don't know why they judge us only by our hair, eye and skin color," she said. "We're Hmong people, and that doesn't make us lower than American people."

Cindy agreed. "We were all in tears, the way she put us down. . . . I think in some parts, it made us all feel like we were ashamed of our culture."

After they went home, they returned to their mission with even more enthusiasm.

"Now back in Minnesota, I feel that we should fight harder and believe in what we should do," Cindy said.

"I want my parents to pass (the citizenship test) because I want them to feel like most other white, Caucasian American parents. . . . I want them to vote. I want them to have the right to do what most cultures can do," she said.

REPORTER: Cait Shepherd, 11.

Metro-area teens of Asian descent have mixed feelings
	Sometimes diversity is a touchy subject, and people tend to lay off and not say much. But three students of Asian heritage recently interviewed by Y-Press had a lot to say about their identities and place in the United States. Eugene Kwon, 16, was born in Indianapolis and attends North Central High School. His parents emigrated from South Korea around 1978. Ada Wan, 15, was born in Hong Kong and m
Preserving their heritage
	As of October, the population of the United States was approximately 273,645,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Only 2,031,000, or less than 1 percent, of those people reported being of American Indian descent. Because they are such a small minority, Indians do everything they can to keep their heritage alive. "Staying in our own race is basically the only way you can keep it alive," said A
Quest for equality gains strength, too, but slowly
	The experienced fingers of 20 women crochet strands of plastic into one-of-a-kind gifts in a shop in Porto-Novo, Benin's capital. These women, led by Grace Dotou-Aboh, began their business, Qui Dit Mieux?, in 1996. They collect plastic bags littering Benin's streets, clean them and transform them into beautiful purses, bags and dolls. The group has received international recognition for raising en
Youths ensure future of ancient tongues
	According to many linguists, most of the 6,000 languages currently spoken on this earth will be extinct by 2100, and many of those endangered are in the United States. Rose Bean Simpson, 18, of Fairview, N.M.; Nina Junaluska, 18, of Cherokee, N.C.; and Autumn Gomez, 14, of Santa Fe, N.M., speak languages that are in danger of dying out before the century is over. Each of them is American Indian an
3 Indian teens face challenge of saving heritage
	Atlanta Braves. Jeep Cherokee. Indianapolis Indians. Tippecanoe County. Florida Seminoles. When you hear these names in everyday speech, do you think about the connection they have to American Indian culture? Though references to their heritage are widespread, American Indians must work to preserve their history. Recently Y-Press talked with George Kanesta, 15, and Angel Boone, 17, from the Zuni r
Group backs end to all restrictions based on age
	Indiana teens hoping to earn their driver's licenses face many restrictions. They must wait until they are 15 years old to get a learner's permit and then until after they turn 16 to take the test that could give them the right to drive alone. Those rules may appear to be a logical way to prevent accidents, but not everyone supports them. In fact, a nonprofit organization, Americans for a Society
Flying the Confederate flag is fanning the fires of a . . . Civil debate on symbolism
	How could one flag that bears the nation's colors be offensive to so many Americans? While some say it is a symbol of heritage, others say it is a symbol of bondage. The flying of the Confederate flag over the South Carolina Capitol in Columbia was a hot topic earlier this year. South Carolina raised the controversial flag in 1962, when its legislature voted to fly it to commemorate the centennial
They're not the same as what adults have, but . . .
	In the past two years, Indianapolis city government has passed laws setting a curfew and attempting to ban youths from playing violent arcade games. Do these laws violate children's rights? Many kids aren't sure. Late last school year, Y-Press talked with fifth-graders from Indianapolis Public School 60 to find out what they knew about their rights. To Akilah Shahid, Lauren Strode and Timothy Eldr
2 Japanese-Americans grew up in different Americas
	Last summer, Children's Express members traveled across the country talking to young people about what it means to be American and live in a country so diverse. Many of the stories collected are being compiled into a book to be published in 1997. We spoke with Sean Sand and Denise Sugawara, two young Japanese-Americans, while they were visiting Indianapolis from Seattle. Sean, 26, lived in In