From Laos to Minnesota: A Hmong Family's Journey and the Impact on the Next Generation

OWL Celebrates Learning

OWL Celebrates Learning
From Laos to Minnesota: A Hmong Family's Journey and the Impact on the Next Generation
May 29, 2023 Season 1 Episode 9
Thomas Totushek

Maria's story is about her Hmong immigrant parents who came to the US after fighting in the secret war in Laos. Her father had a traumatic brain injury and her mother had to take care of 10 children. They settled in California and then migrated to Minnesota where they assimilated into American culture while still holding onto their Hmong traditions. Maria, the youngest of 10, saw her siblings marry young and struggle with the cycle of abuse from their father's PTSD. She eventually decided not to raise her own children the same way and made peace with her father before he passed away from colon cancer. Maria's story is a case study of the experiences of children of immigrants in Minnesota.