United Hmong Family Inc

THE UNITED HMONG FAMILY, INC. WAS ORIGINALLY ESTABLISHED TO ASSUME THE FULL RESPONSIBILITY TO HOST, ORGANIZE, AND IMPLEMENT HMONG CULTURAL EVENTS FROM THE LAO FAMILY FOUNDATION, INC. AND THE LAO FAMILY COMMUNITY OF MINNESOTA, INC., WHICH INCLUDES THE MINNESOTA HMONG NEW YEAR CELEBRATION HELD AT THE RIVER CENTRE (ST. PAUL, MN) AND THE HMONG INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM FESTIVAL HELD AT THE MCMURRAY FIELDS (ST. PAUL, MN). THE HMONG INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM FESTIVAL USUALLY TAKES PLACE ON THE WEEKEND CLOSEST TO THE FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THE VOLUNTEER BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNITED HMONG FAMILY, INC., ALONG WITH THE VOLUNTEERS (COMMITTEE COORDINATORS) ORGANIZE EACH HMONG COMMUNITY EVENT, EACH YEAR.MINNESOTA HMONG NEW YEAR IS AN ANNUAL EVENT HELD BY ALL HMONG AROUND THE GLOBE TO CELEBRATE HARVEST TIME, AND HAS SERVED AS A GATHERING OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO BRING IN A NEW YEAR AND BLESSINGS AS A WAY OF SWEEPING OUT THE OLD (YEAR). THE EVENT BEGAN IN THE TWIN CITIES IN THE LATE 1970S AND WAS FOUNDED BY FELLOW BOARD MEMBER, TENG LY WHO WAS A COLONEL SERVING UNDER GENERAL VANG PAO IN LAOS, ALONG WITH MANY EARLY HMONG SETTLERS. THE EVENT HAS GROWN OVER THE FOUR DECADES OF CELEBRATION AND WOVEN INTO THE FABRICS OF MINNESOTA'S HISTORY AND CULTURE. THE EVENT'S ATTENDEES HAVE BEEN ATTENDED BY ELECTED OFFICIALS, HMONG COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND LOCAL OFFICES THAT WORK CLOSELY WITH THE HMONG IN EMBRACING THE VIBRANCY OF THE HMONG COMMUNITY AND SHARING IN ITS ACHIEVEMENTS EACH YEAR.IN 2019, THE MINNESOTA HMONG NEW YEAR MARKED A HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL SHIFT WITH NAMING ITS FIRST HMONG WOMAN, MEE VANG (THE BOARD VICE PRESIDENT) AS ITS EVENT CHAIR. THE REVENUE IN 2020 THAT WAS RECEIVED FROM BOX OFFICE TICKET SALES OF MORE THAN $50,000.00 COMMENCED ON THE STRONG LEADERSHIP BY THE EVENT COORDINATORS FROM THE 2019-2020 HMONG NEW YEAR CELEBRATION AND ITS LEADERSHIP IN CONTINUING TO BUILD GENDER EQUITY WITHIN THE HMONG COMMUNITY. THE REVENUE WAS ABLE TO HELP SUSTAIN THE ORGANIZATION WITH MAINTAINING OVERHEAD COSTS (FACILITY RENTAL, LEGAL FEES, AND UTILITIES) WHEN GOVERNOR WALZ ANNOUNCED THE STAY AT HOME EXECUTIVE ORDER IN MARCH OF 2020. DUE TO THE SAFETY RISKS WITH COVID19, THE UHF WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN BOTH CULTURAL EVENTS WHICH HAS PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN BRINGING IN REVENUE TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION IN RECENT YEARS.THE HMONG FREEDOM FESTIVAL TAKES PLACE ON THE WEEKEND CLOSEST TO THE FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. IT IS HELD IN RAMSEY COUNTY, ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.THE VOLUNTEER BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNITED HMONG FAMILY, INC., ALONG WITH HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS FROM THE HMONG COMMUNITY PUT ON THE EVENT.THE HMONG FREEDOM FESTIVAL WILL BE A FUNDRAISING EVENT AND A DIRECT SERVICE TO THE HMONG COMMUNITY IN PRESERVING AND EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE ABOUT ITS CULTURE. EVENT INCLUDES MANY WAYS TO PRESERVE AND EDUCATE ABOUT HMONG CULTURE. THIS INCLUDES A FULL ARRAY OF CULTURAL AND HISTORIC MUSIC, SONG, AND DANCE PERFORMANCES BY HMONG INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS. SPOKEN WORD ART FORM IS USED TO TELL STORIES OF THE LONG HISTORY AND IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES OF THE HMONG PEOPLE.THE FESTIVAL INCLUDES MANY VARIETIES OF TRADITIONAL HMONG FOOD. MANY OF THESE TRADITIONAL FOODS ARE PREPARED ON SITE IN VIEW OF THE PARTICIPANTS SO EVERYONE CAN SEE THE TRADITIONAL AND CULTURALLY SPECIFIC WAYS THESE FOODS ARE PREPARED.SPORTING EVENTS ARE ALSO A BIG PART OF HMONG CULTURE. SO THE FESTIVAL INCLUDES SPORTING EVENTS SUCH AS SOCCER, TUJLUB, AND KATO/TAKRAW. THIS IS A WONDERFUL WAY TO SHOWCASE THE WORK OF HMONG ATHLETES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AWARDS ARE PRESENTED TO RECOGNIZE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO HELPING HMONG YOUTH GET INVOLVED IN AND LEARN MORE ABOUT TRADITIONAL HMONG SPORTING EVENTS.EACH YEAR A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE HMONG COMMUNITY IN MINNESOTA AND THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY PARTICIPATE IN THE ANNUAL HMONG FREEDOM FESTIVAL. THE UNITED HMONG FAMILY, INC. WILL USE PROCEEDS FROM TICKETS SALES, VENDOR SALES, AND SPONSORSHIPS OF THE FESTIVAL TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS WITHIN THE HMONG COMMUNITY. CURRENTLY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES HAS TAKEN ON THE PROJECT OF FINDING A PERMANENT HOME FOR THE FESTIVAL AND CREATING A COMMUNITY SPACE THERE FOR ALL HMONG FAMILIES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR HISTORY AND CULTURE.