Thanks to Mai Kue Vang for putting the Story skirt together

for Nkauj Hmoob.

Nkauj Hmoob Story Skirt was selected to be displayed at Warped Milwaukee 3rd Annual Fiber Arts Exhibition in the Jazz Gallery on the east side of Milwaukee for the whole month of November. The Exhibition is sponsored by ABK Weaving Center. Nkauj Hmoob along with 15 other art-ists displayed their handcrafted art. All items displayed was using fiber fabrics in their own creative ways, majority of the items are hand-made by the artist. Nkauj Hmoob girls are pleased to have their story skirt dis-played at the Gallery and to be able to experience and see different art fibers displayed along with their handmade skirt.

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Nkauj Hmoob

Speak out

2

Nkauj Hmoob

Speak out cont...

3

Teen Interview 4

Guest Speaker

from Laos

Delta Nraug

Hmoob

GroupHmoob

5

Hmong Women’s

Conference

6

Staff and Board

Retreat

Courage Award

Sexual Assault

Program at

HAWA

Hmong Domestic

Violence Helpline

Volunteer

7

HAWA Hat &

T-Shirt for sale

Hmong Domestic

Violence 24 Hour

Helpline

8

PhoReal! HMONG AMERICAN WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION

D E C E M B E R 1 , 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2

S T O R Y S K I R T

Editors for this edition

includes:

Mai Xia Lee

Nkaujsua Xiong

I N T H E H M O N G L I F E

P H O R E A L ! / I N T H E H M O N G L I F E P A G E 1

Mai Xia, Chee and Mai Kue

standing in front of Story Skirt.

Story Skirt Muslin and Dye

“During the Vietnam War, Hmong refugees documented the events of daily life at the time by using pictorial images and symbols. The women came together in com-munities to create large scale story clothes that were sometimes ten feet long. In doing so, it helped the women deal with the struggles of the time.

Nkauj Hmoob is a youth group that comes together to make art that focuses on the contemporary concerns of Hmong youth in the urban Milwaukee Community. In “story Skirt,” we created symbols of the things that influence our identities and then incorporated them into the traditional Hmong skirt form. By coming together to create this piece of work, we learned more about ourselves and be-

came closer to one another.

Girls from Nkauj Hmoob Group speaks out

As a new member The day I’ve join, “Nkauj Hmoob”, I knew that it’s going to be about Hmong people and our history.

Even though, I’m new to this lovely group, I had told myself that this thing will help me learn more about my

own culture. This group makes me feel confidence of myself and knowing that there’s more things to do out

there, to learn new things and try new things. I volunteered to be part of this group because I want to repre-

sent my school Asian club and show my family, friends, and relatives that I will be successful in the future. I

can say that volunteering had a big impact on people’s life and that you want to keep doing it in the future. I

didn’t know what to expect from those ladies but when I got to know them, it makes me feel happy because

we all can do lots of fun things together. -Mai Ker Thao

My Years at HAWA’s Nkauj Hmoob Group By: Amy Vang

During my years in HAWA, I have learned so much. Even the things I had never ever been able to learn. Through this program, I was able to share my thoughts and speak what I had trouble with. Either it was with education, parents, or other relationships. I especially love the girls, they are funny and lovable. We talk and share a lot of personal stories, but sometimes we can have our silent moments. I love the coor- dinators there too. Mai Xia is the group coordinator who gathers the girls together. She helps maintain the perfect mood and

environment for us through the times when we are together. When I am alone with her I feel that I can connect with her, trust me she gives great advices. I would love to take this time and thank this program. It has helped me though my hard and easy paths. I recommend the Nkauj Hmoob group as the number one Hmong girls group in Milwaukee.

P H O R E A L ! / I N T H E H M O N G L I F E P A G E 2

Fun Activities & Field

Trips with Nkauj

Hmoob Teens @

HAWA

P H O R E A L ! / I N T H E H M O N G L I F E P A G E 3

Drawing by Chee Lor

The Stress of a Hmong Girl

By: Rosie H.

As we grow up, our parents raise us, discipline us, and expect high expectations from

us. They expect us to be a doctor, a dentist, a teacher, or work in any high paying job so that

we will live a life not as hard as they lived. True, when they tell us these things, it sounds like

an ambitious goal that we feel obligated to accomplish; but as time goes on we realize that the

goals that they put in our minds is harder to achieve.

It’s hard when you are expected to be a 4.0 student, or getting no lower than a 3.0 on

your GPA. Especially when you are just not into school work and you don’t want to do your

homework, and you don’t want to have to deal with the stress of overwhelming assignments

and tests. Some parents understand and don’t push you to be someone you’re not, but other

parents they push you farther because they know you can go that extra mile.

As a Hmong daughter, it’s so hard to find time to study thoroughly and do your

homework so you will receive an A+ on your assignments. As a Hmong girl, we have many

duties that are expected to be finish. There’s babysitting, cleaning the house, cooking, setting

the table, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, helping out at cousin’s houses, and so much

more that sometimes you can’t even find the time to finish your assignments from school.

Social Anxiety By: Nancy Lor

You may find this hard to believe, but I have a fear of meeting new people also known as social anxiety. I dislike making new friends and it’s not really my thing. The thought of having to make new friends scares me. I intentionally don’t leave a big impression on people the first time meeting them so I don’t have to meet them again. Social anxiety is not only being afraid of meeting new people, but also the thought of interacting with people around you. They fear that people are watching their every move and this makes them uncomfortable. When ask to speak in public, or to introduce themselves in a crowded room, they will try their best to avoid that situation. Surprisingly, social anxiety is the third largest psychological problem. No one knows how people have this fear. This fear has never been discussed in talk shows, the media, or the public because those who do have this symptom feel like they are the only ones who do. To add onto that, “social anxiety does not come and go like some other physical and psychological problems. If you have social anxiety, you have it every day for the rest of your life”. The only way to get rid of this fear is to have proper therapy which is more difficult than it sounds because social anxiety people have a hard time opening up and speaking their mind.

What people think of the Hmong Karen Yang

Many of the people I interviewed had about the same thoughts about the Hmong people. There were a lot of positive and negative

feedback. Many Hmong people strive for success, the Hmong people are awesome, we are also short, sporty, friendly and beautiful. those people also love the Hmong people was some of the positive thoughts. Some of the negative thoughts were that the Hmong are becoming more ghetto, the younger generation of Hmong are turning away from their culture, many of the Hmong like to gossip and tell lies, and they are also haters, self-centered and envious people.

Hmong parents always want the best for their children because they didn’t have all the chances or opportunities that we have had

here in America. Many people, not just the Hmong, think that the Hmong people are awesome and cool once you get to know them. Many of the Hmong people are short, sporty, friendly and beautiful. When a Hmong person is tall, that’s like the average or short height for other races. Hmong people like to go play sports and hang out with friends a lot. Most of the Hmong are also beautiful. “I love Hmong people.”- Simon, Langston Examples that Hmong people are becoming more ghetto is that they are using more drugs and violence which is making the become messed up. The younger generation of Hmong people do not understand their own language because they have become too Ameri-canized and a lot of them listen to Korean music. Some Hmong just like to gossip and tell lies. The Hmong people can also be very dramatic at unnecessary times. Wherebn b ever the Hmong people go, they just talk about other Hmong people. Along with these characteristics, the Hmong are also described as haters, self-centered, and envious of other Hmong. The Hmong show these traits by being mean to one an-other and not caring about others. There are some good qualities and bad qualities about the Hmong. In other words, the Hmong are just like every other race and just a little different but in a good way.

Drawing by Chee Lor

P H O R E A L ! / I N T H E H M O N G L I F E P A G E 4

Interview by Chee Lor

Name: Anonymous

Race: Hmong

Sex: Female

Age: 17 years old

Religion: Christian

How do you feel about your Hmong culture?

I'm not too prideful in my culture because many people do shameful things to make us

all as a whole look terribly bad, but I am forgiving and accepting to my culture because

in every culture it's the same.

Do your parents approve you dating other races?

No, because they would like to be able to speak to my husband or boyfriend and they would also like for him to share the

same values and beliefs as we do.

Are your parents open to an American lifestyle?

No, because they really want to preserve the Hmong culture and they feel that just because we are in America won't

completely mean that we are American. They would like us to continue to remember that we are "Asian-American" so

they have us speak to them in Hmong at home and English elsewhere needed, for example at school or public places where

English is needed.

How do you feel about interracial relationships? For example a Hmong and African American spouses?

I feel that it is totally fine, because people have their own preferences and desires. But I know that it's a problem or issue

throughout the world for people who disagree with interracial marriages, but I won't do it myself.

How do you feel about homosexuals?

I am a Christian, and in the Holy Bible, I shall not agree or abide by homosexuals, but growing up before knowing God, I

always felt okay with it because people are free to do what they please to do and that had never been a problem to me. I

think that elderly Hmong parents and grandparents would not agree to homosexuals because they've never seen such a

thing when they were still residing in Thailand or Laos, but now that they're exposed to all the sins of the world, they see

that it's disturbing.

Do you think our generation is losing our Hmong culture? What ways can we prevent that?

Yes I think that our generation is losing our Hmong culture because a lot of youths are more focused on their friends, par-

ties, school, sports and working. Some youths don't even know how to speak Hmong because their parents don't teach

them and spoke mostly English too. This causes a cycle and it'll keep running and sometime soon the Hmong culture may

or may not become extinct. By preserving our culture and preventing extinction upon our culture, we need to bring the

beauty of the Hmong people out more boldly and sternly. We can remind young parents to teach their children to speak

Hmong and the Hmong culture at a young age so that they don't end up not knowing about the Hmong people and our

language.

Guest Speaker from Vientiane, Laos comes to HAWA

P H O R E A L ! / I N T H E H M O N G L I F E P A G E 5

The DELTA (Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leader-

ship Through Alliance) program called Nraug Hmoob is a youth group

for Hmong men. Nraug Hmoob consists of high school and college

students in the Milwaukee area. The primary prevention focus for

Nraug Hmoob is to “Bringing Families Together to Build Healthy Re-

lationship.” Nraug Hmoob mission is to build strong Hmong male

leaders that can create social change in their lives, at home, at

work, and in the Hmong community. Nraug Hmoob meets for 5 ses-

sions to learn about root causes of violence against women and chil-

dren, domestic violence, domestic violence prevention, how vio-

lence is learned, and who can be an ally. The 5 sessions helps Hmong

men to understand that domestic violence is a problem, rather than an

expected and accepted form of behavior within a marriage or dating

relationship. This program educates Hmong men to stop violent acts

and hold each other accountable for one another’s actions in changing

the social norms within the Hmong community.

For more information or if you want to be involved in Nraug Hmoob,

please contact: Shee Yee Chang!

Email: sychang_hawa@yahoo.com or call HAWA

DELTA (Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliance)

also known as “Nraug Hmoob”

HAWA invited a special guest speaker Nou Lorbliayao who is the Project Manager

from Vientiane, Laos to come to HAWA to talk about their program in Vientiane and

what they are doing to help Hmong women and girls to be better self sufficient.

Between 30-40 people attended the event at HAWA on November 13, 2012 and

HAWA provided Pho for the audience.

VivNcaug or Vivncaus, means sisterhood in the Hmong language. The program

was initiated by women who are concerned about the limited educational and eco-

nomic opportunities available to ethnic women in Laos.

VivNcaug aims to create a world where women have the capacity, knowledge,

skills, and power to influence and create their own happiness

They focus on the following three components: Educational Development,

Economic Empowerment & Healthy Lifestyles Promotion.

If you want to know more about the program, check them out on Facebook!

Hmong American Women’s Association had their first bi-annual Hmong Women’s Conference in Milwaukee. The conference was held at Mount Mary College on September 15, 2012. The conference was about Historical trauma within Hmong people. About 100 People came to the Conference to learn about Historical Trauma.

HAWA’s second annual Conference will be in 2014.

P H O R E A L ! / I N T H E H M O N G L I F E P A G E 7

Hmong women’s conference on historical trauma:

Hope for our future by healing the wounds of our

past.

Historical trauma is the cumulative emotional and

psychological wounding over the lifespan and across

generations, originating from massive group trauma. When trauma is not

dealt with in one generation, it must be dealt with in subsequent generations.

Unresolved historical trauma can lead to issues such as domestic violence,

family conflict, alcoholism, and drug abuse. The conference examine Hmong

historical trauma, including the Secret War, and how it may relate to issues

concerning Hmong women today. the life of Hmong women.

P H O R E A L ! / I N T H E H M O N G L I F E P A G E 6

Hmong Women’s Conference

HAWA’s Intern Nkauj Sua

Xiong hand sketched

HAWA’s logo on rocks.

HAWA’s teen girls made

centerpieces for the

conference tables.

Picture below: HAWA staff, volunteers and facilitators

Every year, many individuals and organization in Wisconsin, through innovative programs determine to work for safety, empowerment and

justice for victims of domestic abuse and their children. In recognizing these efforts, the Governor’s Council on Domestic Abuse gives out two

awards, the Justice and Courage Award To End

Domestic Violence.

This year one of Hmong American Women’s Association employee

“Va Yang” was given the Courage Award on October 12, 2012 at the

Monona Terrace in Madison. _______________

“Courage Award” is to honor a survivor who has helped other victims and

survivors through the promotion of greater self-determination and

empowerment or has worked to raise community awareness of domestic violence.

Va Yang with Lena C. Taylor (WI State Senator District 4)

P H O R E A L ! / I N T H E H M O N G L I F E P A G E 7

HAWA Staff and Board Retreat in

Summit, Wisconsin

on

October 1- 4, 2012

Sexual Assault Program

Sexual Assault is a

"hidden" epidemic in the Hmong community, not on-ly here in Milwaukee, but across the U.S. A taboo sub-ject most of us were taught not to speak of therefore; perpetrators continue to

thrive and victims/survivors pay the price for it. Some-thing has to be done and that something is the Ntuj Tshiab Program here at HAWA. The program although currently in its infancy, I hope can shed light to the those who have been affect-ed by Sexual Assault. I de-sire for all victims/survivors to know they are not alone and help is avail-able.

For more information, you can contact me via email:

jyang_hawa@yahoo.com

or

By phone: (414)342-0858. Joua Yang, Ntuj Tshiab (Sexual Assault) Coordinator

Upcoming Events at HAWA

HAWA Website Launch Party in February 2013

Empowerment Nights starts in March 19, 2013

International Women’s Day Event on March 10, 2013 (HAWA collabo-

rate with other agencies)

Any questions, comments, or would like more information about HAWA,

it’s programs, or want more of this Newsletter Edition, Please contact us.

7212 W. Fond Du Lac Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53218 Phone: 414-342-0858

Fax: 414-342-0773 Email: maixia_hawa@yahoo.com

Visit us at: www.hawamke.com OR Facebook

If you or someone you know is being

abused call the WI-Statewide Hmong

Crisis Helpline. You will be connected

with a Hmong Bilingual staff member to

assist you.

________________________________

The Wisconsin Statewide Hmong domes-

tic Violence Helpline is staffed by experi-

ences professionals whom are fluent in

both Hmong and English 24 hours a day, 7

days a week including holidays. The

Hmong Domestic Violence Helpline staffs

will be able to provide you with interven-

tional, counseling services, support ser-

vices and resources. The helpline help

individuals who are facing life challenges

or trauma as a result from domestic vio-

lence for Southeast Asian Victims

throughout the state of Wisconsin.

Photo by A-Yin Thao

You don’t have to face

your problems alone,

Make the call…

Toll Free:

1-877-740-4292

Free and Confidential

24 Hour

Hmong Domestic

Violence Helpline

P H O R E A L ! / I N T H E H M O N G L I F E P A G E 8

Are you being…

Hit, Kicked, or Slapped

Called Names?

Accused of being unfaithful?

Humiliated?

Told to leave?

Locked out of the house or car?

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Call and we will help

you…

HAWA

HAT AND T-SHIRT FOR SALE

Help support Hmong American Women’s Association by buying Women’s T-Shirts and Hats. If you would like to purchase one, please call Hmong American Women’s Association and pick one up. All proceeds goes towards HAWA’s programs and activities.

Hats: adjustable

Women’s T-shirts size: S, M, L, XL

Hat: $10.00 T-Shirt: $15.00