T he place where Hmong teens can speak and be heard. - About Us

HmoobTeenThe place where Hmong teens can speak and be heard.

Introducing. . .Nhia LeeMatthewSaykao ThaoVanessa Xiongthe new HmoobTeen editors!I’m 17 years old and attend Johnson HighSchool. I’m just your average Hmoob guy;working part time, minor volunteering, extracurricularactivities and trying to become asomebody one day. My hobbies are writing,reading, playing volleyball, singing (keep it onthe down low), spending time with my familyand everything else an average teenagerloves to do: hanging out.I can honestly say that becoming an editor forHmoobTeen was the greatest feeling ever.Even now, I still can’t believe this is happening(it’s so surreal). Starting from the beginning, Iknew that I wasn’t going to be the best writerand hopefully, they can help me become abetter writer. My mind is always open to tipsand advices from my peers and co-workers;anything to help me enhance my writing skills.Also, I’m excited about getting to share myopinions in discussions, meeting new people,creating new friendships and helping my community.Of course, each of these factors hastheir own significance. Most importantly, I getto WRITE a lot!Guess what readers? I’m the second Nhia Leein HmoobTeen. It’s going to be awkward,considering I’ve never been in a setting with aperson that has the same first and last nameas me. The other Nhia is a genius; I guess it’snot too bad. I hope you guys can read someof my articles in the very near future. I can’tbelieve this is true. I use to sit in my room, readsome HmoobTeen magazines and wish thatit was me in those pages, with the pictures andeverything, and now, it has finally happened.Wish me luck! Thanks!I’m cryptically known as “Saykao” thewondering kid who finds himself lost intranslation, waking up and stepping out ofhis small midwestern town.Being a new editor gives me the chanceto represent the voices of the teenageHmong community, letting myself and othersbe heard. I’m excited to be here, tohelp and learn about ourselves as we allgrow stronger everyday, how we deal withlife and how life affects us.I enjoy traveling the highway nights, makingruns to late-night fast food trips andenjoying my life that I receive with others.I grew up with my hometown Texas cousinsto playing around the Asian Market inFresno, to raising chickens in WashingtonState and bargaining on the streets ofLop Buri, Thailand. These days, I’m a highschool senior in Minnesota planning my lifeout for the world.I find the most simplest things precious; theenvelopes I recieve at birthdays, puttingon sandles during the cold, and eating ahumble bowl of pho (all taken with a snapof a picture). Other than that, I’m a big fanof indie artists and people that break thelaw of normality.I’m a young adolescent at the age of 14and attending Roseville Area High Schoolas a freshman! I spend most of my timephotographing and editing pictures, or asmost of you know it, photoshopping. I enjoylearning new things and making newfriends. I am, most of the time, a peopleperson so if you see me around, say hello!I’m most excited about readingHmoobTeen entries and comparingand contrasting them to otherHmong teens around the nation. I wantto know how other Hmong teens arefeeling and if they’re truly by themselvesor if there are other Hmong teensout there like them (or possibly me).Some of my interests are photography,music and games. I love photographingtrash, dirt and anything that shows pollutionand poverty. I like those kind ofpictures because it not only shows howmuch everyday citizens litter but in thosepictures every trash has a story behind itand every ripped up shoe or dirty childhas a story behind it. Another one of myinterests is music. Without my guitar andmy piano, I would be DEAD bored! Writingsongs is one of my smaller interestsbut I don’t like to sing. Playing guitar andpiano sets me free from stress and frustration.It’s nice to just sit back, relax andplay. One more interests of mine is Callof Duty 4. I don’t like any other gamesbut that game. No questions asked.Winter 2008 HmoobTeen / 5

Knowing Your HmongI suppose you’ve heard of themusic played through a bambooqeej; the beautiful, longbamboo pipes that bring messagesand words through itsmelody. You’ve must have seenit being played at the new yearsor at funerals. Nowadays,many youth just often go pastit, glaring at it for awhile;never really understandingthe language it spoke. Behindwhat we see and what wethink we know about the qeej,it is one of Hmong’s most valuableinstruments. It is capableof expressing the story of life,myths, legends and folktales,the hopes and dreams, loss,separation and displacementfrom one’s homeland and thecommonly, religious rituals.How did it come about to this?Like all Hmong values and tradition,there is a folktaleattached to this magnificent piece of instrument.The QeejThe Folk Story of OriginBy Ka Zoua Vang, Hmoobteen Editor, 17, St. Paul MNLong ago, there was a man by the name of Sinsay. He was a greatand talented warrior. He was always eager to engage in combatand prove his skills and strength. Surely enough he’d always win andhis reputation as a champion spread throughout the towns.When Sinsay fought and won a battle, he was given a prize whichwas to marry one of the beautiful young women from that kingdom.There would be a brief honeymoon then he would be off again; continuingon his way to conquer another kingdom. As time passed by, hewas able to conquer seven kingdoms, thus he married seven brides.Soon after his seventh marriage, the God-King decided to hold agrand festival. He invited everyone with advance preparations forit. Everyone was excited to attend, especially the seven wives whoeagerly waited for Sinsay’s return. They knew he was going to be atthe festival so they each made their own plans to go and find him.Sinsay had heard of the festival too and he looked forward to attendingit. He wanted to go and claim his champion status as well asto meet all of his wives who he knew would be there.During the opening day of the festival, thousands of people gatheredtogether in festivities. Since it had been long since Sinsay andhis wives had seen one another, they searched the fairgrounds highand low but were not able to find each other. They were not able torecognize one from the other after so many long years.They were disappointed but were not ready to give up the search.So each wife began to sing her own lug txaj, which were love songsabout their lives together that only a husband and wife would know.One by one, Sinsay was able to find all seven of his wives becauseof the lug txaj they sung. He responded back in lug txaj to them,acknowledging them as his wives.Although he was able to bring together all seven of his wives, theywere enraged when they found out he had married seven times. Eachone wanted him for her and they would yell back at one another,“He’s mine!” The situation got worst to the point where the God-Kinghad step in.When the God-King asked what the problem was, all the wivesshouted out, “He’s my husband!” To solve their problem, the God-Kingtold the women, “If all seven of you say that you are his wife, youmust go and create something that would include all of you and witheach part containing words coming through it. If you all were meantto be his wife, then you will be able to accomplish this task. If not thenyour statements are not true.”So off the seven wives went.The first wife made a pipe we call taub qeej.The second wife made a pipe we call ntiv lauv.The third wife made a pipe we call ntiv tw.The fourth wife made a pipe we call ntiv npug.The fifth wife made a pipe we call ntiv txug.The sixth wife made a pipe we call cej ntiv npug.The seventh wife made a pipe we call cej ntiv txug.Lastly, when all the women came back together again, all seven pipeswere put together into one instrument which we now call the qeej andwhen it was blown out, it made words. The God-King finally declaredthat all the women were truly Sinsay’s wives.Winter 2008 HmoobTeen / 7

Check Nws Out!The Power of DancingBy Blia Vue, HmongTeen Editor, 17, St. Paul, MN“Dancing is a passion, a dream, which can make one become even a betterperson - keep on fighting, even if it means you are fighting alone.”- Mintshi and Josie Vang8 / HmoobTeen Winter 2008

“We want to make a difference in everygirl’s life; we want every girl to follow andaccomplish their dreams passionately by usingtheir heart to successfully fight all obstaclesthat might stand in their ways!” Is thissomething that can be said easily? Sayingsuch a powerful and influential phrase can’tjust be easily said out because you feel likeit; you had to have the ability and potentialto do so. Josie Vang, 20, and MintshiVang, 17, had both abilities and potentialsto do so. Josie and Mintsis are the 3rd placewinner of hip-hop dance group, So Close,during the River Centre New Year of 2007-2008. As sisters they share a strong familybond but as passionate individuals, theycare about making the lives of young womenstronger and better through dancing.I arrived at Hmong American Partnership,where they were teaching a hip-hop classon a pleasant Monday afternoon. The firstthing I noticed was how friendly they are bythe way they dressed and the big smiles ontheir faces. I felt lucky to have the chance tointerview them.So what do these two implausible girls dofor their community? Both Josie and Mintshiteach varieties of different dances to studentsat the White Bear Lake district schoolsin Minnesota, starting from kindergarten tohigh school students their own ages. Theirmain focal point was to focus on the Hmongwomen youth so that every girl canbecome a stronger woman. They want tomake a difference in every girl’s life, especiallyif they have the passion to dance.When asked what their favorite dance toteach, Josie immediately answered, “Hiphopdancing isn’t just what we can do; wecan do all kinds of dances, such as India,Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and even Koreandances. But we just love to Hip-Hop best;I just love the fast-beat moves. But we dohave a lot of fun when doing the otherdances.” Mintshi then added in, “WheneverI don’t feel good even for the smallest thing,I have to Hip-Hop dance to ease away thebad feelings.” I was surprise at Mintshi’s answerbecause I had never thought about theidea that dancing can ease away emotions!Guess I do now!I also asked the girls about what inspiredthem to dance and what motivates them toteach others, Josie’s answer left me speechless.“We started dancing at a very youngage with our families supporting us, especiallyour dad who’s always there by ourside encouraging us through the good andbad times. He supports and believes that wecan become good people even by dancing,which is the idea that many of our Hmongparents doesn’t agree with. We didn’t haveany difficulties in following our dreams, butthere are many girls out there like us whohas a passion to dance, but weren’t giventhe chance because their parents areagainst the idea of dancing. Many of theseparents thinks that dancing is all about booty-shakingand being bad kids. This makesme and Mintshi wants to dance and teachothers on how to dance even more, we wantto prove them wrong, we wants to prove tothese parents that dancing isn’t all aboutbooty-shaking and being bad kids. But it’sa passion, a dream, which can make onebecome even a better person.” Josie’s answerto this question is a true reflection onthe Hmong community is today, especiallyour elders, because dancing in their perceptionis valueless. What they don’t knowis that, dancing brings people together, itbuilds character and teamwork. Dancingalso encourages competitive creativenessthat is needed in jobs today. It is one ofthe most important dreams to some of us todaybut that doesn’t stop Mintshi and Josiefrom teaching others even if parents disapprove.Aren’t Josie and Mintshi just implausible asI had stated earlier? Besides being expertson dancing, they are just like you and me.They both enjoy playing soccer, participatingin school academic activities, listening tomusic, and spending time with friends andfamilies. A good friend of their (who wishesto remain anonymous) describes them to bewise beyond their years. But more importantly,Mintshi and Josie are normal averagegirls who just like to make differencesin their communities and people’s life.“Follow your dreams and heart.Don’t let anyone put yourself down;it doesn’t matter whether you aredifferent in size, skin-color, shape,or anything, what matters the mostis how far you can go to achieveyour dreams and goals, even if youare fighting alone, standing alone,prove them wrong, prove to themthat you can do it.”Making differences can really change aperson’s world; it’s like lighting a flame inthe darkest night and giving others hopesto live on. If Josie and Mintshi can make adifference, wouldn’t you also?Mintshi, far left, and Josie Vang during the interview with Blia, right.Winter 2008 HmoobTeen / 9

Adult Role ModelChoua HerDream big! We Live in a big world.By Kia Lor, HmoobTeen Editor, 17, St. Paul, MN“Dream big; never think it’s impossible; theworld is so big so take advantage of all theopportunities.”In the world there are two types of people:the ones who watch things happen and theones who make things happen. Choua Her isthe type who makes things happen and thatmade all the difference in her life.Choua Her has accomplished a lot alreadyin life at the age of twenty-eight and is continuouslyseeking more ways to grow.Choua is the Community Specialist at theGirl Scouts Council of Minnesota and WisconsinRiver Valleys. Her role is to work withyoung Hmong girls in the Twin Cities. She isalso the coordinator of the Hmong WomenCircle (HWC) program which was establishedin 1998 by KaShia Moua.I’ve known Choua for three years and personallyChoua is my role model. On the dayof our interview, Choua picked me up frommy house and took me out to eat. She evenpaid for my meal! Choua is very down toearth and honest with every question I askedher. There were some things I already knewabout Choua, like I knew she was a hardworker and was always busy, but therewere some surprises, too, like learning howpassionate she was about her dreams.Choua is one of the most independent personI know and through her independenceshe had been able to achieve her goals.Choua grew up in Milwaukee and Madison,Wisconsin in a family of eight (includingChoua). In 1997, her family moved to St.Paul, Minnesota. In fact her family moved alot during her teenage years which helpedChoua discover who she was. She was challengedto ride the city bus to places since shecouldn’t drive and through that experienceshe had learned to be courageous. Chouastated, “When I started riding the city bus,it was one of my first steps towards beingable to do things on my own rather than dependingon others. Even though I didn’t knowhow to drive at the time because I couldn’tget my license (I was too young) and thenafter I got my license I couldn’t drive all thetime (because I didn’t have my own car). Iwas still able to do things including workingpart-time, participating in after-schoolclubs and activities, and explore the city.”Choua considers taking a group of sevengirls to French Guiana her biggest accomplishmentsyet. The seven girls, Choua andVilai Tchaa, the other chaperone, went toFrench Guiana in July of 2007 with thegoal of learning about the Hmong peoplein French Guiana. It was a cultural exchangeexperience for the teenage Hmong girls inthe U.S.A and French Guiana. They wentdown there with four service projects whichare: Stay Tobacco-Free, Self-Esteem, FoodExchange and Language Exchange. Chouasays this was her biggest accomplishmentbecause she learned so much from the trip.Choua said, “One important thing I havelearned from the whole French Guianaexperience is how important it is to reallyuse all the different resources out there tohelp you reach a goal.” Little did Choua norany of the girls foresee the obstacles theywould have to overcome in order to get toFrench Guiana. Behind the scenes, Chouawas working with politicians to resolve travelingissues of expediting travel documents;visas and green cards for the two girls whowere not citizens that were going on thetrip. The girls didn’t know how much workChoua was doing because they were busyfundraising for the trip which cost $2,050per person. Choua never gave up on thegirls and gave them support when theywere in doubt. Choua also had to coordinatewith people continents away for informationabout insurance, itineraries, planeflights, and transportation schedules. Luckilyshe had the knowledge of the law in herbackground and she knew where to start.Choua was so passionate and optimistic, allseven girls made it to French Guiana andback home safely.Her words of wisdom to teenagers out thereare to “dream big. Go out and explore, experiencedifferent things and see the biggerpicture. Get to know all sorts of peopleand make friends with them; don’t just stickto one crowd because you’ll never knowwho can open doors for you.” Choua alsoencourages teens to “tell people who cansupport you in your dreams. There are nolimitations to whom and where you can be.Live your life to your fullest potential.”In the world there are two types of people:the ones who watch things happen or theones who make things happen. Choua is thetype who makes things happen and thatmade all the difference her world. That iswhy she is my role model.10 / HmoobTeen Winter 2008

12 / HmoobTeen Winter 2008 Artwork by Casey Cheng, 18, St. Paul, MN

Melting PotThemeDressing like AmericansBy Mohamud Haji, 16, St. Paul, MNWhen I was a kid I used to put on a cloth call kamis and a hat callkufe. When I came to the United States, I was still dressing the wayI used to as a kid. The first time I saw rappers on TV and they weresagging their pants. Then one day I saw my older brother dressinglike the rappers on TV When he started dressing that way I liked itand now I have lost my dressing roots. But I never lost my religionand I am so happy that I did not too lose my religion. One day, Iwill get my dressing root back.In Thailand I Like the FoodBy Ger Xiong, 12, St. Paul, MNI got outside. I go up the tree to get the mangos and put in my bag.I bring the bag with the mangos home. I eat the mangos. They aregood. I like to eat mangos so much because they are sour. Myfriend said to me, “Can you get me a mango from the tree?” And Isee the mango. I see the Thai people who came to look at the treeand I get down from the tree. My friend runs home. Thai peopledon’t know me and my friend but I still got a mango. My friend washappy because he can eat the mango.Karen LifeBy Laydia Say, 13, St. Paul, MNMost Karen people live in villages and are farmers. They haveanimals and they grow fruits, vegetables, and rice. Some Karenpeople are very poor and some are not. Some live in beautifulvillages with beautiful flowers, mountains, hills and many otherbeautiful things. Some Karen people are Christian and some areBuddhist. Now life for some Karen people has changed. Those wholive in a village or in Burma don’t have food to eat, a house to live,and clothes to wear. They don’t have schools to go to because theBurmese government is not doing the right things and Karen peopleare becoming refugees. Some Karen people went to Thailand andbuilt schools, houses, churches, and other good things but they arestill called refugees in Thailand. Some Karen people are still inBurma and some are still in the same places where they lived before.And now we have an opportunity to come to United States.Karen people who live in Burma never have freedom. The alwayshave to run. Many Karen people are killed and the women areraped by Burmese soldiers. The Burmese people took our Karenland and we can’t have it back. They killed our people and burneddown our villages. Children run and cry. They run in the dark andpeople carry their babies on their bags. Now the war is still goingon in Burma, where the Karen people live. Karen people haveterrible lives. Some children watch their parents died in front ofthem. They cry for help and their eye are full of tears. Burmesesoldiers are very cruel. They killed many Karen people and don’tcare. Karen people have sad stories about their lives. Burma arepraying for help and hope to get out of the mess very fast. Thisis the Karen life, always running and hiding. Some Karen peoplewho came to the United States have good schools and have a lot ofopportunities to learn more.Loss of CultureBy Roda Yusuf, 17, St. Paul, MNSome people are losing the important parts of their culture, such astheir language and religion. For example, my friend is beginning tolose her native language. She speaks English all the time and she isuncomfortable speaking Somalian, her native language.Also, people are losing their religion because they change whatthey believed before. I see a lot of people who don’t know how topractice their religion. For example, some people don’t know howto read the Qur’an anymore because they don’t go to dugsi.In conclusion, this loss of culture occurs because people move toother countries. They don’t keep their culture because they are ina new culture. They may not practice their religion or use their languageanymore.RespectBy Ge Xiong, 13, St. Paul, MNIn my culture, we respect the elderly. I respect my older sisters,brothers and especially my parents. My parents respect my grandparents.My grandparents respect their bosses and governmentauthorities. Hmong people do that because the older they are themore experienced and knowledgeable they are. They live on theearth longer than us. At 50 years of age, they are wiser and moreknowledgeable about life. That’s why we are always taught torespect the elderly. We don’t need to know who he/she is to showrespect to him/her as long as he/she is older. This is one of ourvalues in the Hmong culture that is always taught and passed on tothe younger generations.As for myself, I do the same thing I respect every elderly. Somepeople in my life that I respect the most are my parents and mygrandparents because they raised me up and took care of me,especially because they gave life to me. Another thing is that theywere always there when I needed them. So that’s why I respectthem most.Losing the Culture of My CountryBy Julio Sanchez Rodriguez, 16, St. Paul, MNI am from El Salvador. I remember when I started to lose my culturesince I got to the United States in 2005. When I got here, everythingwas different from my country because in El Salvador I usedto go to church, but now I don’t. That is one of the culture things thatI lost already.In my country, if you want to get married, your parents have tochoose who they want you to marry. You also have to ask permissionfrom a girl or boy’s parents to get married. If they say no, then youcan’t get married. When I got here that was different from therebecause you can choose who you want to marry with.When you lose part of your culture, it is like you’re losing part ofyour life. But at the same time, it is like getting a new one. If oneday I go back to El Salvador then I hope to get back all my culturethat I have lost.Winter 2008 HmoobTeen / 13

Theme FeatureI am not Hmong, I am . . . . . .By Meng Yang, Hmoobteen Editor 17, Blaine, MNI believe there are a lot of teens out therethat question their culture and or race.That’s okay though. Everyone goes throughthis phase where they don’t really knowwho they are or where they stand. Withso many of us raised in the United States,there are many things that can influence anyperson to not necessarily accept their cultureand identity, but also allows others toadopt someone else’s culture and identity.There are some Hmong people out therethat claim they are not Hmong; they don’tspeak Hmong, don’t follow the Hmong traditions,and reject the Hmong values. Thenthere are some people out there that reallyrespect the Hmong culture who are not ofHmong ethnicity. They live it, they learn fromit, and they may even speak a little of thelanguage. I sat down and asked two totallydifferent people who have opposite views.Both of these individuals will give you all anin-depth view on their choices in their lives.Tammy ChangTammy Chang is seventeen years old, asenior in high school. She does very wellin school, achieving a 4.0 grade pointaverage. Tammy writes in her school newspaper,is on a dance team and she workspart-time. She likes to read, write and ishighly addicted to the internet.MY: How do you feel about the Hmongculture?TC: The tradition of this culture is sopatriarchal (ruled by men) and its valuesare completely sexist. Honestly, I just hateit. Quite frankly, a culture doesn’t defineyou, just as personality or characterwouldn’t. They’re just aspects of a person.Sure, your roots and heritage or what notalong the ancestral line relates to culture,but so does the present and the soon tobe future. Therefore, I don’t feel the needto be all “rah rah I’m “Hmonger” aboutbeing “Hmonger”. Growing up in certainplaces most definitely allows someone totake on a different persona, but that’s justhow someone’s raised. Don’t question itand peace will actually have a chance toovercome.MY: What is a “Hmonger”?TC: A Hmong person, with an er on the end.MY: When was it when you decided not toembrace being Hmong?TC: No. With me, it was always my upbringing.I’ve just always grown up withwhite kids. Hmongers never truly intriguedme, whether I was or not. I simply didn’tcare.MY: What specifically about the Hmongculture and it’s value do you disagree with?TC: Patron over matron. Upbringing ofchildren. Separation of sexes. Each sexes’deeds - what they’re entitled to. Howthey’re treated. The effects of a negativeoutcome. The standards of living & doingwell in anything.MY: What in your life has influenced youto step outside of your culture?TC: On a successful aspect, it’s the idea ofmajority versus minority. As a “Hmonger“,you’re automatically the minority becauseyou don’t have blue eyes and blonde hairor something along the lines of. The majorityget to the top and if you don’t, thenyou’re nothing. If you start out nothing andyou don’t take the effort to do somethingabout it, you end up nothing. On the otherhand, pride itself isn’t visible. It’s the speakof, the talk and the talk, but no walk of being“proud” to be “Hmonger.” Surely onehuman being can stand up and exclaim oftheir enthusiasm about being “Hmonger“,but it’s never apparent. Nobody trulyknows what a “Hmonger” is, and personally,I don’t even think a “Hmonger” wouldknow what a “Hmonger” is supposed to be.My upbringing plays a huge role in how Iperceive myself to be. I grew up with whitekids, learned how to interact with whitekids, and being around “Hmongers” was sobrief. I guess you can call it habit, not liking“Hmongers” - but I have my own reasonsas to why I don’t like them.MY: Do you consider yourself Hmong?TC: At one point in my life when I didn’tknow any better, of course! But as I grewup, I grew out of the phase.MY: How come?TC: I’ve had the negative experiences andhearsay of how “Hmongers” interact witheach other. It’s not something to be proudof and I suggest if anyone is, don’t startgetting too loud because someone willput you in your place. Besides, I don’t feelthe need to always explain myself simplybecause I’m “Hmonger”. It’s an unnecessarydetail. Personally, I’m just not “Hmonger“.Assume or think what you’d like, but youhave no right to tell me otherwise.MY: Do you speak or understand Hmong?TC: I can speak a little “Hmonger” and Ican understand most of it. Speak slowlyand we’re totally good. The only personwhom I actually communicate with in14 / HmoobTeen Winter 2008

.“Hmonger” is my Grandma.MY: What do you feel when you are surroundedby a lot of Hmong people?TC: I feel completely lost. It’s like I don’tknow where the heck I am and it’s disgusting.Being around these complete strangersgets uncomfortable. I’m always stared at,regardless of the reason why and it’s notany welcoming presence.MY: If you don’t consider yourself Hmong,then what do you consider yourself to be?TC: White-washed and pretty proud of it.I’m not ashamed of being spoken about insuch a bad manner. I am what I am and Ilove white kids. They know how to get theirthings done and over with. But other than,if I have the choice - I prefer not to answerat all. It’s not an obligation to answer to astranger what my ethnicity is. If anyone’swondering, that’s their problem, not mine.MY: What does your family say about this?TC: My Grandma thinks I’m an absolutedisgrace. And my mother, thinks that I’ma bad child. Add the part of - extendedfamily help to that list of disagreeing.MY: Any last words for everyone out there?TC: Not keeping in touch with your innerroots isn’t exactly the most horrible thing inthe world. You remember who you are andthen you get over that. You do what youneed to do and make yourself satisfied. Ifthat includes refusing to claim such an ethnicity,then you do it. No one has the right totell you what you are. If you love embracingyour culture, you embrace as you please.Make your way to the top and disregardwhat everyone else has to say. No one willlike you simply because you’re “Hmonger”nor will anyone hate you, but me.Richard Castillo is of Dominican descent. Heis eighteen years old and he’s a freshmenin college. He plans to become a computerprogrammer. Richard is very outgoing andextremely polite. He is very entertainingand can always light up a room with hisjokes. Some of his hobbies are working out,kick boxing, drawing, and reading.MY: How do you feel about the Hmong culture?RC: The Hmong culture is a part of my life,it’s a part of me. I like it and I think its gota lot of good traditions, but times arechanging so the culture has to change alittle bit, not entirely. Some people throwit away completely and just adopt theAmerican way of life. Yeah I don’t agreewith some of the Hmong youth today whenthey regard people who came here fromThailand or Laos as “fresh off the boat” or“HTT,” like it’s a bad thing or something. Idon’t think that’s how they should be thinking,because their parents were like thatat some point and maybe even they were.It doesn’t really matter, that’s where yourparents came from, and you should makethat a part of your life because culture isidentity, and if you don’t have culture thenyou’re lost. If you’re Hmong then you havea culture already. Why would you want tothrow it away and go get another culture,regardless on whether you like or don’t likesomething about it, you don’t have to throwthe whole culture away.MY: What in your life has influenced you tostep outside of your culture?RC: Well, when I was a little kid, I lived inFrogtown so I would always see differentcultures all around me, like kids my age, andI would always want to play with them. Butback then it wasn’t culturally acceptable toplay with [people of] different races. Everyonekind of sticks with their own race. Iwould see a few Hmong kids my age, andI would ask them if I could play tag withthem, and they would be like “Uh, we haveRichard Castillo with editor, Meng Yangto go home,” and just leave. But you know,they don’t really have to go home, but youknow, its all good. It’s how they grew up.So when I moved, I met my friends that Ihave now, and I kind of got introduced tothe culture and I’d go over to their houseand I’ll ask “Hey man, why is your mom doingthat?” And they’d tell me that it’s a partof the culture and stuff. Over the years Ijust picked up little things and I like it, I likesome of the stuff the Hmong culture doesand has.MY: What does your family feel about yourclose connection to the Hmong community?RC: They support it. They think its cool thatI’ve embraced another culture.MY: Do you not like your own culture andvalues?RC: I do like it, there’s nothing wrong withmy culture. I didn’t embrace the Hmong cultureas a replacement for mine.MY: What specifically about the Hmong culturedo you like?RC: The manners; the respect.MY: Do you speak or understand Hmong?RC: Umm, at first I never really tried to understandHmong. I just figured I stay outWinter 2008 HmoobTeen / 15

Theme Featureof the conversation when they’re speakingHmong but then after awhile I started askingmy friends, “hey, what does that mean?”like little words, and yeah they would tellme, and over the years I picked up somewords, some of the basics. But I can’t have aconversation in Hmong, but if you try to dissme or something, I’ll know.MY: What do you feel when you are surroundedby a lot of Hmong people?RC: Like at the Hmong New Year, at firstI feel really uncomfortable because everyonelooks at you, they may not stare butthey’ll look at you once and they’ll realizeI’m not Hmong and I don’t know whatthey’re thinking, they might be like “Oh whyis he here?” Some people might be like,“Oh that’s cool.” As time went by, I stoppedcaring, because it doesn’t matter what theythink. It’s become more socially acceptableto go to Hmong events because I see it beingmore diverse now. I kind of feel more atease now. But when I go to traditional parties,I would not want to go inside becausethere are so many of the older adults, andI feel the most uncomfortable when I’m inthat situation.MY: What type of girl do you plan on marrying?RC: Well because I’ve been hanging outwith my Hmong friends so long, I hear themtalking about Hmong girls and stuff. Aftera while I started liking them, like a lot, andnow I only like them. It sounds messed up,but I really only date Hmong girls. I thinkit’s for that reason, the Hmong culture is soengraved in me. So if I only date Hmonggirls, what type of girl do you think I’m goingto marry? But you never know.MY: Any last words?RC: I think that some Hmong culture stuff,like the girl should be at home and cookand clean. That’s not cool, I think that shouldbe shared, because times are changing. Theguy can’t always be the bread maker. Ithink that’s why most girlsare staying away fromthe Hmong culture andnot going for Hmongguys because they’reafraid to be trappedin the same thing theirmom’s are in. You shouldaccept your culture. Youdon’t have to be likeyour mom, you can stillembrace other peoplesculture, and still maintainyour own. Or youcan just not follow whatyou don’t like about theculture and still take inthe good stuff.We live in a worldwhere you can and willmeet anyone with variousviews on life. If youthink that type of persondoesn’t exist, youhaven’t been lookinghard enough. From theinterviews of these twopeople, I’ve found outabout their many differences.But what I foundinteresting was thatthey have some similarities as well (that Iwasn’t expecting). No matter how differenttwo people are; aren’t we all just thesame at the end of the day? You can thinkwhat you want about the two people I’veinterviewed, but they won’t care what youthink. Some people accept people like RichardCastillo, who wants to learn and get involvedwith the Hmong community, but somepeople just hate it. They think that Hmongpeople should only date and talk to Hmongpeople. In your mind, is that right? We livein America, and in America we have thefreedom to do whatever we want and getto know whoever we want. On the otherhand, we have people that will disagreewith Tammy Chang because she chooses notto follow Hmong cultural values. Does thismake her a bad person? Absolutely not. Everyonehas their reason for doing what theydo. It’s one’s choice and it’s one’s life. We allact like the world is a game of who is thebetter race or ethnicity. But when you lookdeep into this, aren’t we all just the samerace? No race is better than the next race.Either you want to be who you are, or youchoose who you want to become.16 / HmoobTeen Winter 2008Artwork by Mee Vang, 16, St. Paul, MN

By Sherri Xiong, HmoobTeen Editor, 17, Brooklyn Park MNBack in Asia, where the Hmong live in the high mountain peaksoff of beautiful horizons, each day young ladies, mothers andgrandmas would work so hard to design a beautiful piece ofwork for the upcoming New Year celebration. Hmong womenback then would use their time wisely to sew and stitch eachand every piece of the paj ntaub together until they get thefinal master piece. Embroider with bright colors and beautifulpatterned designs.It’s been asked, why is it that our fashion trends seems to getsimpler and simpler each year? Well the answer comes downto changes in our lifestyles in the United States and how muchtime we have on our hands. Since living in the United States,most mothers are busy out working to bring in an income topay monthly bills. They just don’t have that kind of leisuretime to stitch up and embroider the outfits. These outfits arevery time consuming. And when people do come home fromwork, they are often too tired to work on the outfits.With the development of flea markets in the past few years,it has made it more convenient to buy Hmong clothes. If youcome to the flea market you will luckily find the entire fashiontrends of Hmong clothes there. This is another reason whymothers will not take the time to make an outfit. Why make itwhen you’re too busy and can easily go to the flea market.In addition, as time changes, we have developed technologythat takes on the responsibility of all the hard-long labor ofstitching one stitch at a time. So instead of making one pairof outfit you can make like three within less time. Of courseit’s not the same beautiful hand made enriched stitched workno more. Yet this time, it’s more of patterns colliding into oneoutcome.Even though the outfits of the Hmong community have changedovertime, it doesn’t seem to be a matter for the younger teensnow and days. They would rather prefer simple clothes withless heavy layers. This also makes it easy to go to the restroomtoo! As we can see this is mainly the reason for thechanges in our traditional Hmong clothes.Yam ntuj thaum peb tsoom hmoob tseem nyob tim hav tsuassiab puag sawm ib tas ntuj ua ntej thaum lub hnub tawm tuaj.Txhua tus me ntxhais, niam tias, pog sawv daws los pib npajib xyoo los xaus yuav rov txog lub caij mus ua si noj tsiabpeb caug. Lawv txhua tus ib pab xaws paj ntaub, tsam txogcaij ces me tub me ntxhais tsis tau ib cev tshiab hnav mus nrogtxais tos xyoo tshiab.Tau ntau lub xyoo los no hmoob cov tsoo khaws caws tau pauvlos mus ntau heev lawm. Ib xyoo twg zoo li hmoob tus tes pajntaub pib ploj zus zus lawm xwb. Vim hais tias txij thaumhmoob tuaj nyob rau lub teb chaw vam meej no tsis muaj leejtwg tiag yuav ms lub caij coj los xaws paj ntaub lawm, vimmuaj nuj qis ntau heev. Tsis tas li xwb tuaj txog teb chawsme kas no lawm ces lawv muaj cov tshuab ua pab xaws tausai ces nws thiaj li ua rau peb hmoob tsis muaj siab rov musxaw nrog yus ob txais tes lawm. Nyob rau lub teb chaws nohmoob mus tsim tau ib lub chaws tshaj puas ua muag tej pajntaub khaws caws, ces yog thaum yuav txog caij mus ua si tostxais tshiab peb caug ces feem ntau cov niam tuaj mus xaiszam rau law cov me nyuam.Lub caij lub nyoog dhau mus zus zus txiij thaum hmoob tautuaj nyob teb chaws mes kas no lawv tau tuaj si tej tshuabxaws khaws caws ua pab ua txoj hauj lwm mus yoom yij.Thaum tau txais txoj kev pab no lawm tsis tas yuav si sij hawmntev los twb ua tau ob peb cev khaws caws lawm. Ces khawscaws yeej tseem zoo nkauj tab sis nws yuav tsis zoo cuag licev ua yus sij yus ob txais tes coj los ua.Tsis tas li ntawm xwb cov hluas niam no lawv tsis nyiam yuavhnav cov khaws caws lawv vim hai tias muaj ntau yam uayus yuav tau hnav thiaj li yuav zoo. Ces txawm tias tiam nosi me me lawm los cov hluas thiaj li yuav kam hnav. Tawmcov khaws caws tshiab no pauv ntau lawm los nws tseem rwshmoob lub npe thiab tus tes paj ntaub.Tos li no peb thiaj li tau pom hmoob cov tsoom tsho pauv lostau ntau xyoo no thiab txawm lawm.Winter 2008 HmoobTeen / 17

Interracial Dating: Joua’s StoryBy Nhia “Monie” Lee, Hmoobteen Editor, 18, Minneapolis, MN“A lot of theHmong from theolder generationare not acceptingof some peoplesimply because ofthe color or culturethey are from andthat puts a lot ofstrain on relationships.”Many young Hmong Americans have to deal with an intimate relationshiptowards a different nationality. Some have to hide or lieto their parents about the situation. Reading this article might helpyou deal with your situation.Joua is a young woman. She was scared to approach her parentsabout her boyfriend at first because her boyfriend was notHmong. It took her about a couple months before she built up thecourage to bring him around her family. Joua said that her parentsdon’t mind her being friends with him but strongly suggestedthat she hangs out with him less and avoid dating him. She resistedher parents and by rebelling she actually told them that they aredating. The hardest thing during their relationship was to dealwith her parents and relatives who do not approve dating outsideof the Hmong community. Joua stated, “A lot of the Hmong fromthe older generation are not accepting of some people simplybecause of the color, skin, or culture they form and that puts a lotof strain on relationships.”Her parents think that he is a very nice, polite, and helpful guyand her dad is interested in his Salvadorian culture. However, theydo not approve of him as her boyfriend. Sometimes, Joua hadto argue with her parents about race. She tries to point out thatrace does not define a person and that people shouldn’t judgesomebody based on stereotypes. Joua’s boyfriend knows that herparents does not approve him but the only thing she can do is encourageher boyfriend to be himself so that someday her parentswill see that he is a genuinely great guy.After going through this tough situation, he felt bad, but he understoodthe situation. On the other side, when his parents first metJoua, she said they loved her. They called her chinita (which basicallymeans Asian girl). It did not offend her though. They thinkshe’s beautiful and smart. “Honestly”, she said “I think his parentsare glad to see that their son has a girlfriend.” She says his parentsare very open-minded and they accepted her automaticallybecause race is not an issue in their family. They have many familyand friends who are of different nationalities.After going through this situation she said, “It’s not the color [of aperson’s skin] but the [person’s] identity that plays a big role forHmong parents.” Her dad says that the Hmong will soon lose theirlanguage, heritage, and culture because we are marrying differentraces. Joua disagree with his thoughts because she believesthat culture does not depend on the man or woman you marry. Itdepends on your dedication to keeping your culture alive. “Whenit comes down to relationships, romance, and love- it’s your happinessyou should worry about, not theirs,” she reinforced.Joua’s advises to people in similar situation is to DO NOT arguewith your parents. It will only make things worse. Treat them withrespect and they’ll treat you the same way. Try to educate youparents, grandparents, and relatives about race and maybe evenlet them meet some of your non-Hmong friends. They’ll realize thatrace really doesn’t define a person.18 / HmoobTeen Winter 2008

A Matter of PerspectiveBy Anonymous, 19, Anoka, MNInterracial dating is a forbidden topic in the Hmong community. A topic never discussed enough and needs to be! This is a topic that isalways avoided because of what others may say or do. Those who believe in interracial dating are said to be a disgrace. Those whobelieve in it fight the battle that should never even be fought; a battle that involves family and culture distress. Why does it matter? Loveis unconditional. As the saying goes, “Love is blind.” It’s a matter of perspective. Dating outside the Hmong race does not mean you areinsecure about yourself. It does not mean you hate yourself. And, it surely does not mean you hate the Hmong race!Some may believe that individuals outside the Hmong race cannot be trusted or loved because they are different and not Hmong, howeverthat is not true. They are human beings as well and should not be treated any different. Why treat them so different, I say. Whenin reality they aren’t that different from us. Their hearts beat and only long for love and happiness as we do. Don’t be so ignorant thatwhen it comes to happiness and love, the thing that stops you is the color of someone else’s skin. Do not be so blind to criticize those whoare different from you and know that love takes you anywhere and with anyone. Think about it. It’s a matter of perspective that shouldnot be ignored, however accepted and appreciated.Love, Not RaceSent in AnonymouslyWhen we’re together out in public, people don’t say anything to us. They usually just give us rude uncomfortable stares. We kind of ignoreand laugh at them. Even though people don’t say anything to us when we’re out in public, there are mean words and disrespectful commentsexchanged on Myspace and Asiantown [pages].My boyfriend’s family and friends think nothing of me being Asian. They see me as a nice girl. My family on the other hand is quite verydifferent- let me rephrase that about me and everything, I know my parents care about me. I understand that, but they trip about myboyfriend being an African American. They would listen to our phone calls, take away all the house phones and hide them. Not to mentionmy cell phone. My mom tells me that every guy just wants sexand that they’ll break my heart. Right after that, she tells me toget a Hmong boyfriend. This is kinda contradicting, right?They’ve tried to break us up many times but it never works.Even though we don’t like the racial comments and slurs theymake and how they call him “kaydoo” instead of his name.We’re going through it one step at a time. Some of my friendsand a couple members of my family are actually supportivesomewhat. Some help me through the really tough time at thebeginning of the relationship.We know we’re young but if you know us well enough, thenyou know who we are and we don’t throw the word “love”around like it’s worthless. We have values we follow anddreams we’re going to make come true. We don’t see eachother as some race, only, as the one we love.Artwork by Pheng Her, Minneapolis, MNMaybeBy Xue Lee, 17, Minneapolis, MNMaybe she might be the one that will love me.Maybe she might be my angel.Maybe she might be the one that take me out of the dark.Maybe she might be the one that God send in to save me.Maybe she might be the one that will make me happyand not lonely.But all I know is a maybe only.Winter 2008 HmoobTeen / 19

PoemI converse with elders to interrogate for thirstFirst, I ain’t neva misplaced my native language since birthNever too AmericanizedVim kuv tseem txawj haas luj MoobAnd twist around what they say cause America is my homeBe aware that there ain’t neva be Hmong in ‘em history textbooksAnd sadly I conceive that we’re losing our best rootsWho is gonna be next to flex thea two tongue consecutively in order to stay freshTest my mic, you ain’t never gon’ impress me yo bestPerniciousProphecyBy Bao Xiong, HmoobTeen Editor, 16,St. Paul, MNArtwork by David Vang, St. Paul, MNIgnorant kids lacks knowledge of our originsIgnorant lives cause each day there’s more who listenSons seize a drumDaughters starts to strumI hum to the melodious beat they sungI wonder, “where’s the instruments we’ve brought?”Hmong violin to the mouth organ, we have a whole plotBut some decides to practice others, cause they believe we can’t rockWe live in a society where it’s a melting potFo’ my unborn children and fo’ myselfI feel I ain’t gonna have a rooster leadin’ my way to hellMiscommunication leads us to distinct individualsRitual ceremonies ain’t gonna happen unless if my dream’s visualMy prophecy sees farther than a mob’s gun shotAnd if it takes oneI’ll sacrifice just so we can reach the topDon’t laugh at me cause I’m full of dignityAnd if you hate what I sayIt’s cause you ain’t feelin’ meArtwork by David Vang, St. Paul, MN20 / HmoobTeen Winter 2008

Finding a Job Just Got EasierBy Blia Vue, HmongTeen Editor, 17, St. Paul, MN“Thanks for your interests in wanting to work with us, but as a matter of fact we don’t have a positionthat is available for you now. You may apply again at a later time. Thank you.”How many times have you heard or seen this message? During aphone conversation, an interview, or was it written on a little cardinside an envelope? Don’t you just hate getting this message everytime you wants to try out something new and just was never giventhe chance? Is finding a job easy? Of course not! Finding a job isn’teasy at all, you shouldn’t expect to get any job just because youfilled out an application. That’s not how reality works, if you wantthe job, you have to put efforts into getting one.So what kinds of jobs are actually available out there? Well, sincewe all have school to go during the day, our options to finding thejob we are interest in is not that great. However, there are jobsavailable everywhere, such as fast food restaurants (McDonald’s,Burger Kings and etc.) mall stores, and baby-sitting. As a federallaw, anyone over the age of 16 can obtain a part-time job as longas they return home before curfew. But for those who are 15 and14 years old, finding a job is more difficult, but it is not hopeless.You can find jobs during the summer and make easy money by doingchores around the house. But also remember that finding a jobis not just about money (part of it is the money) but the importantthing is the skills you will be learning. These skills, such as, customerservice, communication, teamwork, leadership, and management,will be skills you need for your future professional job.So you need a job and don’t know where to start? Here’s some tipsto help you get started!Tips For Finding A Job:1. First figure out what you are good at and what interests you.2. Create a resume on decent weight, non-white paper –make sure to spell check and make sure that everything is truewith your updated contact information.3. Tell your friends, teachers, neighbors, or relative that youare looking for work, so that when they know of places thatare hiring, they will call you.4. Look online, such as www.eac-mn.org/youthjobs.htm,www.snagajob.com, and other online resources are alwaysa big help. They have everything!5. Walk into a store you like and ask if they are hiring. Younever know if they are or not.6. Baby-sit, mow lawn, shovel snow, or volunteer – we allhave to start somewhere.Once you’ve applied and received a phone call for an in-personinterview. You also have to be prepare. In the interview, employersare looking to see if you can communicate well and contributeto their business or mission. Interviews can also be very scary, especiallywhen it’s your first time. Finding a job is indeed hard, butinterview are actually relatively easy. Just follow these steps belowhere, for sure the next time that you go for an interview, you won’tbe disappointed!10 Easy Tips During Your Job Interview:1. Show a positive attitude! Show that you are open-minded andwilling to learn. Smile, don’t make a faces, because first impressionsis most important, you won’t be given a second chance! So make itthe best you can.2. Be willing to work independently, on a team, and with diverseco-workers.3. Be flexible about what kind of work hours that they required.4. Speak confidently and try not to stutter a lot. Don’t look too nervousor too happy, just relax and be yourself.5. When being asked a question, answer the question fully anddon’t just nod your head up and down or answer with a yes or no.8. When speaking, look straight into the person’s eyes and don’twander off or space-out too much.9. Shake hands and always thank to the person whom you had theinterview with.10. Practice with a friend before going into an interview so youknow what to expect. Practice makes perfect!If you follow these easy tips, there are possibilities that you willget the job that you desire. But hey, if you didn’t, then don’t feeltoo bad because there are still lots of opportunities out there waitingfor you. Just feel good that you had given all your best. Don’tstop searching just because you didn’t get the job that you wanted,but keep on looking. You’ll find one somehow. Maybe that wasn’tthe right job for you. Most of the time employers are looking forpeople that can also fit into the culture of the business. Maybe theyhave too many talkative people on their staff and are looking fora different person with different personalities. Also, don’t give up,because all of your hard efforts of searching will pay off one day!Like I said, think about the skills you will gain to use for your futurejobs. One day you will look back and see how easy this is. Workingshould be fun so find the one that you will enjoy.Winter 2008 HmoobTeen / 21

Public Health IssueSLG: What abBy Pa Yong Xiong, HmoobTeen editor, 17, St. Paul, MN and Amanda MouaIf you saw someone being pushedaround at school or ostracized, wouldyou do something about it? Whatif this person was you? Would youknow that it is wrong? Who wouldyou tell? Would anyone be able tohelp you?Hmong American Partnership’s ServiceLearning Group (SLG) has beenmeeting every Wednesday for thepast year to learn about bullyingand find ways to help childrendeal with the issue in school. Bullyingis defined as taking power oversomeone and making them feel vulnerableand it is a serious problemthat is often overlooked by parentsand teachers. Bullying should not beseen as just a part of the growing upexperience but a problem that has adetrimental effects on a child’s selfesteemand sense of security. Someof the most extreme effects maylead to suicide or social violencesuch as school shootings.From their research, the SLG discoveredthat bullying is most commonamong middle school teens but alsoprevalent in elementary schools.There are many types of bullyingsuch as physical bullying, verbal bullyingand psychological bullying.Physical bullying is the most commonlyknown type of bullying amongstyouth and adults. Physical bullyingincludes hitting, punching, pushing,kicking and physically assault. Someonewho bully hope to bring aboutfear and intimidation to the personthey hope to take power over. Thereason physical bullying is so wellknown is because it is often the easiestto observe and prevent. Most22 / HmoobTeen Winter 2008schools have policies against hittingother students on school grounds.Physical bullying is also most commonamong males and is often seenon playgrounds or play areas.Verbal bullying consists mainly ofthreats and verbal harassment.However, verbal bullying is oftenaccompanied by another form ofbullying such as physical bullying orpsychological bullying.Psychological bullying is commonamong females. It includes intentionallyexcluding an individual froma group, spreading rumors and/orostracizing. Psychological bullyingis also the hardest type of bullyingto address because it is hard to detect.Bullying is not only harmful to thevictim but harmful for the bully aswell. Bullying behavior if not addressedand corrected earlier in lifemay lead to harassment or assaultcharges as an adult.There is no way to actually avoid abully. It is never the fault of the victimif they are selected as a target tobe bullied. However, there are waysin which you can handle the bullyingsituation. First off, try not to interactwith the bully because that willonly antagonize them and it wouldbe exactly what they want. Instead,tell a trusted adult right away. Thismaybe a teacher or even a schoolcounselor. When you get home, tellyour mother and father. It is alwaysimportant for your parents to knowwhat is happening to you at school,especially if it is harmful. Thoughthe school staff may not deal withthe problem immediately, you shouldcontinue telling someone on site andyour parents. This way they can begindocumenting the occurrence. Ifthe bullying continues and the schoolhas yet to do anything about it, contacta non-profit organization likeHmong American Partnership whomcan advocate on your behalf andbring your concerns to the schoolboard to be addressed.Even if you are not being bulliedbut see it being done to others, it isalso important to tell a school staffwhen you see it occurring. In a surveyconducted by the Service LearningGroup, 59% of youths reportedthat they see other children beingbullied everyday. However, only18% of those youths told a teacheror school staff about what they hadobserved. Sometimes, teachers andschool staffs may also not grasp theseverity of bullying in their school becausethey are not the students. Soit is as important to tell them aboutbullying so that they recognize howoften it occurs.The Service Learning Group has alsocreated an informational brochurefor Hmong parents about bullyingand what they can do to help theirchild if it is happening to them. Frominterviews conducted by the ServiceLearning Group, the youth havelearned that the majority of Hmongparents feel bullying can be avoided.However, we know that this isnot the case. Therefore, SLG includedsteps in the brochure for parentsto take that would assist their childthrough bullying situations. For example,one step includes acknowledgingthat it is not your child’s

out Bullying?fault and that you are there tosupport him and her.The SLG also conducted a surveyearlier in June addressing how muchthe Hmong community knew aboutbullying. Over 200 people weresurveyed in the Dale/Como areaand the Phalen Lake area.Currently, the SLG is working on abullying skit for their project, “ToughEnough!” It will be acted out for elementarystudents and cover issuessuch as being a Hmong youth newto America and how it feels to beteased for it.If you are being bullied or knowsomeone who is being bullied andwould like help, please contact SLGat (651) 495-1500. You may alsocall that number to receive a theinformational parenting brochureon bullying created by the ServiceLearning Group.Winter 2008 HmoobTeen / 23

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THROW YOUR HANDS UP FOR THEFar*East MovementBy Bao Xiong, HmoobTeen Editor, 16, St. Paul, MNThe Far East Movement or FM as they are also known,are a combination of four gifted hip hop artists livinglarge and holding on to their dreams. FM began withthree high school buddies free styling and making musicfor fun and soon led on to recording songs at a friend’sadvice. They attended open-mics and coordinated theirown shows to expose them on to a higher level. Theirname was first formed as a song and was later kept astheir group name to let others know that they are AsianAmericans. Their music is based on emotions and is auniversal blend of all kinds of style ranging from country,trance, to swing.FM is made up of DJ Virman, Kev Nish, J-Spliff, andProh Gress. I had the chance to talk to Proh Gress andhe described each of the members to me. DJ Virman isone of the newest member of the group and is a worldrenown DJ on Los Angeles’ Power 106. He is also verypopular in Japan. “He’s pretty much our mentor. Whenit comes to our songs, if we don’t have him noddinghis head for the first 20 seconds we know things arewrong,” said Proh Gress. Nish loves visual arts and is amajor workaholic. He entertains himself by getting onmyspace and talking to friends there. J-Spliff carriesthe name of Mr. Talented, who’s really funny and skilledin basketball. Sometimes it’ll take him ten minutes justto write his rhymes. And lastly, there’s Proh Gress whograduated from law school and he uses his knowledgeto negotiate contracts and legal affairs. When askedwhat unites them to be able to perform and stay strongProh Gress stated, “In the end if one of us falls, all of usfall so we can’t let that happen and we‘ll fight for thevery end for that. We want to represent for our people,we love what we do, and this is what we do.”How has Hip Hop changed the Asian-American community?FM believes that Hip Hop has changed our communitybecause it’s the type of music that is popular now;it’s what we’ve adopt into our lives. FM believes that HipHop is the sound of our generation and you don’t haveto be African American and or Latino to be a part of it.FM has performed in Asia where over there they see FMas Americans. In contrast, people in America see themas just Chinese and when asked about their music, theythink FM are dancers, DJs or assume they rap in Chinese.This is a prejudice in America where we see in the Asian-American community that Hip Hop does exist for us. FMalso hopes that maybe one day Asian-American artistswill be able to sell million records. With the experiencesthey’ve possessed, their goals is to help aspiring artistsbreak into the music industry.Winter 2008 HmoobTeen / 25

ComicsSend in your comics! HmoobTeen willpay up to $25 for each!26 / HmoobTeeN Winter 2008Artwork by Bee Moua, 12, St. Paul, MN

Summer 2008 HmoobTeen / 27