50 Years Since the Fall of Saigon — Diasporic Emergence: History and Marginalized Perspectives of Southeast Asia and Its Diasporas

media release: Events during this two-day program seek to contemplate and commemorate the history and emergence of Southeast Asian diasporic communities since the Fall of Saigon while emphasizing the stories – written and unwritten – of communities profoundly affected by America’s intervention in Southeast Asia. In doing so, the events aim to center the marginalized voices of Vietnamese Americans, Hmong Americans, Lao Americans, Cambodian Americans, Korean Americans, and others. Beyond the experiences of the 1970s, the events will highlight the varied identities, future opportunities and challenges of the Southeast Asian refugee diaspora. Diasporic emergence, in this sense, embraces a forward-looking perspective on the manifold continuities and futures of diasporic communities. Last but not least, the program seeks to raise cultural awareness about the diasporas of the displaced, and celebrate their present/future. Wisconsin is home to the third largest Hmong refugee community in the United States. The program thus also locates this diasporic conversation especially within the Hmong communities of Wisconsin.

Schedule (all events at Wisconsin Historical Society unless noted):

Friday 

Noon-1:30 pm, 206 Ingraham Hall: Panel on Refugee Experience as History

6:00 – 7:30 pm: Opening of Los Tsev: Cia Siab (Hope) in Wisconsin Exhibit; Reception and Keynote Address by Mai See Thao

7:30 – 9:00 pm: Cia Siab (Hope) in Wisconsin: Hmong Life and Living after 1975

Saturday:

8:30 am – 10:15 am K-14 Panel on Teaching Hmong Studies

10:30am – 12:30pm K-14 Educator Workshop on Teaching Los Tsev: Cia Siab (Hope) in WI Exhibit (lunch provided)

5:30 – 7:00 pm A Conversation: What Does It Mean to be Asian in Today’s America?

7:00 – 8:00 pm Community Reception with food and beverages

8:00 – 8:45 pm Student Readings & Critical Refugee Studies Collective Reflections

8:45 – 9:30 pm Hmong Language & Culture Celebration led by Choua Lee  

Organizer: The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, UW-Madison

Collaborators: The Critical Refugee Studies Collective (CA), UW-Madison’s Asian American Studies Program, and the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures

Partner: The Wisconsin Historical Society