What does the Sony Lee Olympics mean for the Hmong community in America

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When gymnast Sunisa “Sonny” Lee appeared on the world stage at the Tokyo Olympics, she wasn’t just representing Team USA. It also represented the Hmong community around the world. The world took notice when I climbed to the top of the podium Thursday, winning the gold in the women’s overall competition.

With her overall gold medal, Lee became the first Asian American to claim this prestigious title and the fifth consecutive American woman to achieve the feat, following in the footsteps of Carly Patterson at the 2004 Athens Games, Nastia Liukin in 2008, Gabe Douglas in 2012 and Simone Biles in 2016. She jumped Lee is now to the group of legendary American gymnasts.

Since the start of the Olympics, Google has reported a sudden rise in search trends for “Hmong”.

Her victory is celebrated across the United States, but it is especially meaningful to the Hmong community. Lee, from St. Paul, Minnesota, is the first Hmong American Olympian.

Since the start of the Olympics, Google has reported a sudden rise in search trends for “Hmong”. Among the most frequently asked questions regarding Lee after her overall victory was “What is the origin of the Hmong?”

Suddenly, the Hmong people became center stage. People are finally interested to know more about the Hmong community. Hmong people do not regularly see themselves in national media stories or are celebrated as part of the national conversation. Lee promoted a society that for decades had felt invisible and forgotten by America.

“I can’t find the words to express how happy we are, and how important this is to me, my family and the entire Hmong community around the world,” her father, John Lee, told The Associated Press.

The Hmong people – an ethnic group with roots in China – have been in the United States for more than 45 years, but their story remains largely unknown among the wider population.

During the Vietnam War, the Hmong were recruited in Laos to aid American forces fighting the communists in Southeast Asia in what became known as the “Secret War”. An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Hmong soldiers lost their lives in the war. (It is believed that about 58,000 US soldiers were killed.)

But after the United States withdrew from Laos, the communist forces responded to the Hmong for being allies of the United States. Thousands of Hmong have been forced to flee their war-ravaged homes, making the treacherous journey on foot to neighboring Thailand. Many died of disease, starvation, or drowning while crossing the Mekong River. Dozens of Hmong families eventually resettled in other countries, including the United States.

Today, California and Minnesota are home to the largest Hmong population in the country. Wisconsin, Michigan, and North Carolina have large Hmong communities.

To this day, I have encountered people who have no idea why Hmong exist in the United States. They have no idea what role we have played in American history.

I am a Hmong American who was born and raised in Minnesota. I grew up in Minneapolis. The Twin Cities have the largest urban Hmong population in the country and to this very day I meet people who have no idea why Hmong exist in the United States. They have no idea what role we have played in American history.

In Minnesota, it was only in 2019 – about 44 years after the first Hmong family arrived there – that a new public holiday was approved to recognize Hmong veterans of the “Secret War”: “May 14 of each year is classified as units Hmong Special Guerilla Units Day in memory of Southeast Asians, Americans, and their allies who served, suffered, sacrificed, or died in the secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War in the years 1961 to 1975 in support of the United States Armed Forces.”

But with Lee’s rise, hopefully things will change.

Lee’s historic rise also marks a cultural shift for the next generation of Hmong athletes – especially for Hmong girls and women. Because they have gone through so much trauma and sacrificed so much for their children, many Hmong refugee parents have emphasized education more than the curriculum, seeing little career potential in sports. Many Hmong girls have been discouraged even from exercising.

“When I was Sonny’s age, we weren’t allowed to actually take part in high school sports, let alone activities that were happening in middle school or elementary school. It was thought that girls should certainly be loved, but as being at home and helping families, Mai Kao Hang, dean of the Morrison Family School of Health at St. Thomas University, told MPR News earlier this month.

But offer to me opens the door. It highlights the importance of allowing children to realize their dreams.

Last year, I covered a meet and greet in St. Paul while she was training for the Olympics. It was in the middle of a snowstorm but that didn’t stop Hmong fans from taking a trip to meet one of them, someone who looks and resembles them, whose family history mirrors their own.

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The mother of an 11-month-old girl asked why they were out for a photo with the future Olympic champion. Her answer reflects why Lee is indeed a Hmong female symbol.

“I want [my daughter] Baku Mua told me. “I want her to know she had someone who followed her dreams and worked hard to achieve her goals.”

Congratulations, Sony. You did. Your Hmong brothers and sisters are very proud of you and what you have accomplished for yourself, your family and our community.

Nancy Yang is a digital editor at the Minnesota Public Radio Newsroom. She is also a representative of the Minnesota National Board of Directors for the Asian American Journalists Association.

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