First Hmong economic development conference planned in Eau Claire

The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
·2 min read

May 25—EAU CLAIRE — A first-in-the-nation Hmong economic development conference is coming to Eau Claire in September.

The inaugural HMong Economic Advancement, Research and Equity Conference, known as the HERE Conference, is scheduled Sept. 14-16 at Pablo Center at the Confluence.

The conference, created by the Eau Claire group Hmong American Leadership & Economic Development, is intended to offer entrepreneurs, business professionals and policymakers the opportunity to explore strategies to build wealth equity for Hmong and other ethnic entrepreneurs.

"More than 45 years after the first Hmong refugees came to America, second- and third-generation HMong Americans still face obstacles to building their social and economic capital," conference founder Mai Xiong, president of HALED, said in a news release.

Conference materials use the spelling "HMong" rather than "Hmong" as an inclusive acknowledgement of the two main dialects — Green, or Moob Leeg, and White, or Hmoob Dawb —spoken by Hmong communities, according to the release.

The conference, Xiong said, is an effort to provide ethnic entrepreneurs and policymakers with resources, networking opportunities and research insights to help them thrive.

The event will include a Sept. 14 banquet, titled "Igniting Your Potential Through Local Support," and a Sept. 15 "Little Mekong Night Market" in Phoenix Park that will try to emulate the feel of a Southeast Asian outdoor market.

Hmong people living in Laos and Vietnam assisted the United States in the Vietnam War but faced retaliation after the war, leading thousands of Hmong refugees to resettle in the U.S. beginning in 1975. The first Hmong refugees in Eau Claire arrived in 1976.

The U.S. is now home to more than 325,000 Hmong Americans, with the largest populations living in Minnesota, Wisconsin and California, according to Pew Research and U.S. Census Bureau data.

Xiong, a former Eau Claire City Council member who also serves as vice chair of the Wisconsin Governor's Council on Equity and Inclusion, worked with statewide organizations and national partners to develop the conference. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is the event's lead sponsor.

Speakers will include state and federal government officials with expertise on advancing ethnic and rural populations.

Organizers are hoping to attract 300 to 500 people to Eau Claire for the conference.