The needs of the Hmong

Group's survey lays out priorities for community

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

HICKORY -- The Hmong began fleeing to the United States in 1975, seeking refuge in places such as Burke and Catawba counties in the years following the Vietnam War.

In the three decades since, they have been trying to make North Carolina their home without losing their Southeast Asian identity. And now they've written a report identifying the social and cultural needs of their community.

The results, compiled by the United Hmong Association of North Carolina, are the product of two years of intensive polling and compilation by Tong Yang, the executive director of the organization, and a team of social researchers and academic and medical professionals.

"Everything in the country is about statistics and data," Yang said, "and before this, we didn't have anything specific to the Hmong population."

The association focuses on promoting education, cultural preservation, health care, economic development, self-sufficiency and social advancement in the Hmong community.

One of the biggest concerns identified in the survey was preserving the Hmong's 4,000-year-old culture, particularly the annual New Year celebration, which takes place in late November, Yang said.

"Many people think it's just a holiday, but that isn't what it is to us," Yang said. During the religious tradition, the Hmong thank their ancestors for the ending year and for blessings in the year to come.

Before the report, Yang said, community leaders had an idea of what issues ranked high among the Hmong and confirmed that health care, education, interaction with law enforcement and preserving their culture were top priorities.

"We didn't have a clear idea of what the community needed," he said, which made it difficult to communicate Hmong needs to local, state and federal agencies. "We hope this report will be a bit of a reality check."

The goal of the survey, Yang said, was to distinguish the Hmong from other Asian groups and to identify the concerns of Hmong in North Carolina, most of whom live in the Unifour region.

More than 300,000 Hmongs from Laos have sought refuge in the United States since the Vietnam War, when many of the group fought with the United States. About 15,000 Hmong have settled in North Carolina, Yang said.

During the survey, Yang realized that younger Hmong were more concerned about social issues, such as education, and the older Hmong wanted to focus on maintaining cultural traditions, including the religious New Year celebrations and marriage ceremonies.

The survey, taken by 250 Hmong adults living predominantly in Burke and Catawba counties, focused on questions about education, social and government-based services, tradition, religious beliefs, family, fair treatment by law enforcement and the courts, employment and health care.

The majority of respondents, 75 percent, were between 18 and 33, but Yang said the Hmong community is focused on family, and the younger generations are often responsible for communicating for the older members of their families who don't speak English.

Among other findings, the survey showed that while Hmong think schools and social services are doing a good job providing language accessibility, they think some groups, including law enforcement and health-care providers, need to be doing more.

One-third of respondents, for example, said they had been stopped by police without reason or knew someone who had been treated unfairly by local law enforcement, Yang said.

He also said the survey showed overall discontent with the court system in North Carolina.

Floyd Lucas, chief of the Hickory Police Department, said he has been friends with Yang and closely connected to the N.C. Hmong community for years.

Lucas said that the age of the respondents - nearly 60 percent were between 18 and 25 - may explain why so many Hmong said they were unhappy with treatment by local law enforcement.

"The younger Hmong," Lucas said, "are at a place where (they are) young and Westernized, yet have to deal with the culture their parents and grandparents have brought from Laos."

Still, he said, finding a balance between the cultures is paramount.

"We want them to maintain the traditions of their culture while, at the same time, obeying the law in their new homeland," Lucas said.

Yang also said about 95 percent of adult Hmong are employed and 60 percent have health insurance.

Still, he said, many Hmong are unable to express their health concerns because of language and cultural barriers. The Hmong ranked heart disease, cancer and AIDS as their biggest concerns.

Barbara Pullen-Smith, director of the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities with the N.C. Department and Health and Human Services, called the report "a historic move" because it allows her department to look at the Hmong separately and not part of the larger Asian population.

"It's looking at a very specific group and is capturing their health challenges," Smith said. "All of these issues are major for them, and at the root, theirs is a challenge with language and cultural issues.


*

Key Findings

Language Accessibility

Better translation and interpretation services are needed in the judicial system and between law enforcement, city and county government and public health departments.

Education

The majority of Hmong parents help their children with homework daily and are willing to participate in after-school learning activities.

Many Hmong consider attending college a priority but are not sure how to apply for financial aid and scholarships.

Religion

Forty-four percent of Hmong are Christian and 38 percent say they practice ancestral worshipping and animism. Half still practice Shamanism, a traditional belief of spiritual healing, and the majority of Hmong believe in Shamanism.

Health

Major health concerns include heart disease, AIDS and cancer.

About 60 percent have health insurance, but for those who don't, cost is the main reason why they don't seek regular medical care.

Culture

About 65 percent said clanship, which Hmong believe assures social cohesion and identity, has changed in the past 10 years. Seventy-four percent said they wanted clans to remain intact.

More than 93 percent of Hmong said they think cultural preservation is important.

Most respondents, 79 percent, said cultural training on Hmong culture should be offered to the non-Hmong community.



All content © THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
and may not be republished without permission.