ONLINE: Modern Jungles: The Hmong Refugee Experience

media release: The Wisconsin Historical Society hosts a panel discussion exploring the themes of its new Society Press book Modern Jungles: A Hmong Refugees Childhood Story of Survival. Drawing from both personal experiences and contemporary scholarship, panelists will discuss the Hmong diaspora to Wisconsin and the important contributions of Hmong Wisconsinites today. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Chia Youyee Vang, Interim Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and member of the Wisconsin Historical Society's Board of Curators. The virtual event is free.

About the book: As a five-year-old boy, Pao Lor joined thousands of Hmong who fled for their lives through the jungles of Laos in the aftermath of war. After a difficult and perilous journey that neither of his parents survived, he reached the safety of Thailand, but the young refugee boy’s challenges were only just beginning. Now, in Modern Jungles, Pao Lor shares his inspiring coming-of-age tale about perseverance, grit, and hope.

Born in a small farming village, Pao was destined to be a Hmong clan leader, wedding negotiator, or shaman. But the course of his life changed dramatically in the 1970s, when the Hmong faced persecution for their role in helping US forces fighting communism in the Vietnam War era’s "Secret War.". After more than two years in Thai refugee camps, Pao and his surviving family members boarded the belly of an "iron eagle" bound for the United States, where he pictured a new life of comfort and happiness. Instead, Pao found himself navigating a frightening and unfamiliar world, adjusting to a string of new schools and living situations while struggling to fulfill the hopes his parents had once held for his future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pao Lor, Ph. D., holds the Patricia Wood Baer Professorship in Education at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, where he also chairs the Professional Program in Education. He has been writing about the Hmong American experience for many years.

Panelists:

Dr. Chia Youyee Vang is Interim Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and member of the Wisconsin Historical Society's Board of Curators.

Mai Zong Vue is an author and advocate currently working in the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. She is board president of the Hmong Institute.