APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is celebrated annually each May, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of Hmong refugees resettling in the United States.
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center hosted a celebration of Hmong culture on Thursday evening to get the party started early.
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The event was assisted by multiple Hmong organizations, including the new Hmong American Immersion School (HAIS), which opens this Fall.
Dr. Thai Xiong, the Impact Director for HAIS, said it’s a Charter School in Appleton to teach the language and history of Hmong culture in the core curriculum. Dr. Xiong said that Hmong culture has made its mark on the community over the past 50 years, exemplified by the arrival of HAIS.
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“Culturally, back then, little was known,” Dr. Xiong said. “Right now, in the present, we’re having the first Hmong charter school in northeast Wisconsin, 50 years after the Hmong people settled in the United States.
The AAPI Month Community event kicked off at 5 p.m., featuring multiple ways to pay homage to the culture and history through performances, music, food and stories.
