HND’s Statement – Trump Presidency

November 14, 2016
CONTACT: Dr. Mai Moua, Ph.D.
Chief Operating Officer
(651) 495-1565 | maim@hmong.org
STRONGER TOGETHER TOWARDS A UNITED HMONG COMMUNITY
Saint Paul, MN – Hmong National Development (HND) has worked for over twenty years to empower the Hmong community to achieve prosperity and equality. This campaign and its aftermath of violence and hateful speech have been disheartening for all of us at HND and to our local, national, and international partners and allies. We know there are hurdles to cross in the next few years, and our fight to create a strong, united and thriving Hmong community will come under scrutiny.
HND was founded to be the national voice for Hmong in the United States. Over the years, we have grown to advocate for international issues affecting the Hmong people. The results of the election have impressed on us the need for HND to do better and to do more. As the only national agency focused on policy, research, and leadership development for the Hmong community, we seize this opportunity to accelerate our policy work around education, health disparities, economic development, and civic engagement.
“HND deeply values the diversity of our communities. It is this diversity that enables the Hmong community to thrive,” remarked Bao Vang, HND’s President & CEO. “Today, we are more energized and more determined to stand ready and undeterred in our work to unite our communities.”
Already, we have taken proactive actions to meet with our national partners and allies in anticipation of the changes to happen. At the top of our priority is to ensure our community’s safety and rights are protected, and that means we need to work harder to educate and inform our elected officials and other stakeholders about the pressing issues affecting the Hmong.
The next few years will be critical to HND’s work as we build our community’s capacity to advocate for themselves, and to fight for them to have a voice at the highest levels of policy making. As in the past, we will rely on the strengths of our cultures and our community’s history of resiliency to fight against hate and violence.

Together, let’s keep fighting and let’s keep building our partnerships to stand for love and not hate.

####
HND is a national 501(c)3, nonprofit whose mission is to: to empower the Hmong community to achieve prosperity and equality through education, research, policy and advocacy, and leadership development.