While the Hmong community deals with its own issues in the United States (of which I think battling through breaking is a positive part of dealing with their issues), the Hmong community in the U.S. still battles with the awful situation their people in Laos. In this recent article from newamericamedia.org titled: For Many Hmong in Laos, the Fight Goes On by Mai Der Vang published today, she refers to the jungles of Laos where many Hmong still face persecution, as "America's Heart of Darkness".

And here's another article about the ongoing issue of obtaining green cards in the aftermath of General Vang Pao's alleged plot to overthrow the Lao government:

Hmong Labeled Terrorists, Denied Green Cards by Sandy Cha as told to Mai Der Vang, Posted: Sep 12, 2007

the section where the author talks about meeting her grandparents for the first time in Thailand makes me think of the situation of Mpact and Villn on the day of the competition at the Fresno New Year on 12/29/07. Hopefully they're O.K. that I'm sharing this (and one day, I hope they'll posting their own blog entries!) So I was told by Mpact that they were a little conflicted because their grandfather who'd just come from Thailand was going to be at their house, and their parents were throwing a party for him. They really wanted be there, but they also really wanted to be at the Among B-Boys jam. But they had made the decision, with the blessing of their parents, to come to the jam because they had made a prior commitment to it. The kicker though, that they had never met their grandfather! Since the jam finished early enough in the afternoon, I think they did get to finally meet him. I hope they did. I guess this really highlights their dedication to their craft and the support not only that they have for the Hmong B-Boys scene, but also the support their parents have for them.


left to right: Villn, Charles/Goku, Vang Yang, and Mpact