April is Hmong Heritage Month: Here’s What’s Happening to Celebrate
events planned at UWEC, in community
Gary Johnson | UW-Eau Claire Integrated Marketing & Communications, photos by Andrea Paulseth |
UW-Eau Claire will host a series of events in April to honor Hmong Heritage Month. The theme for the month is “Tradition and Change: Honoring the past, and hopeful for the future.”
“Representation matters. It leads to a greater sense of belonging and validation of one’s identity,” says Caitlin Lee, director of UW-Eau Claire’s Multicultural Student Services. “Celebrating Hmong heritage, history and culture on campus during Hmong Heritage Month makes visible and acknowledges the impact of past and present Hmong students at UW-Eau Claire towards its aspirations of being a more diverse, equitable and inclusive institution. More importantly, we would like our Hmong students to feel seen, celebrated, valued and that their presence makes a difference in diversifying the UWEC campus.”
April events include:
- Karaoke kickoff event: 5-7pm Tuesday, April 4, Multicultural Student Services, Room 1106, Centennial Hall. The Karaoke sing-off is a fun event for students to come and enjoy themselves.
- Blugold Dialogue: Hmong caregiving and gender role expectations: 3-4:30pm Wednesday, April 5, MSS Resource Center, Room 1108, Centennial Hall. HaoPay Lee will talk about being a caregiver to a child with special needs and the cultural expectations of being a caregiver and a Hmong woman.
- Crossing the Bridge event: 5-10pm Friday, April 14, as part of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Events are open to the public. Meej Mom Seev appears from 8:15-9pm at Jamf Theatre at Pablo Center at the Confluence. Ka Lia Universe appears from 9-10pm at The Plus.
- Hmong banquet: 5-7pm Wednesday, April 26, Dakota and Alumni rooms, Davies Center. This end of Hmong Heritage Month celebration on campus features a keynote speaker, followed by dinner and performances. Space is limited so RSVP is encouraged. RSVP details will be added as they become available.
Other Hmong Heritage Month events in the Eau Claire community can be found here.
