The Hmong in America

A Story of Tragedy and Hope

Thoughts by Jeff Lindsay of Appleton, Wisconsin

About the Author

Now at Amazon

Jeff Lindsay is a resident of Appleton, Wisconsin, who has known and worked with Hmong people since 1994. Jeff has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University, has been an Assistant and Associate Professor at the Institute of Paper Science and Technology on the Georgia Tech Campus, where he taught graduate-level science and engineering courses and advised many graduate students. Jeff is a registered U.S. patent agent and the former Corporate Patent Strategist of Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and loves inventing, photography, writing and learning.

Though it does not deal with the Hmong people, immigration to a strange land is a key motif in Jeff's recently published book on innovation, entrepreneurship and strategy from John Wiley & Sons: Conquering Innovation Fatigue by Jeff Lindsay, Cheryl Perkins, and Mukund Karanjikar. See the related blog, InnovationFatigue.com. Preview the book at http://tinyurl.com/nofatigue. Also see what some significant leaders in business and innovation have to say about the book.

Welcome to "The Tragedy of the Hmong," a page by Jeff Lindsay dedicated to understanding the Hmong people in the United States, and the tragic events that brought them here. Few people know their history, their role in fighting for the US in the Vietnam War, and the challenges they face today in this strange country. I hope this page will contribute toward understanding. All views expressed on this page are my own. All text and photos are copyright © 2004-2009, Jeff Lindsay. For more photos of the Hmong people, see photos from the Appleton, Wisconson 2005 Hmong New Year's celebration on the Appleton, Wisconsin Blog. Plus I've got a Hmong photo album on my Sanity Defense blog.
If you would like to read comments from others about this page, see my Hmong comments page. Send me email with your own thoughts to share.
New pages: 1. Photos from a 2009 Hmong Soccer Tournament. 2. Culture Clash: Gaps between Hmong Culture and American Society.
Other news:

• July 2010: Time.com, CNN Report that Hmong Refugees Still Live in Fear in Laos and Thailand
• July 2010: Reminder from a News Story: Employment Challenges in America Remind Us that the Hmong People Don't Fit Common "Asian-American" Labels
• Feb. 2009: Hmong Community Asks for Obama's Help in Resisting Forced Deportation to Communist Laos. "The Thai government has denied the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees access to the Hmong camps to review the conditions under which they are held. Hmong supporters also accuse Thais of knowingly deporting refugees to Laos despite evidence of persecution." The Hmong people held in terrible camps in Thailand face severe persecution Laos. They are in trouble because they fought to help us in our war during the Vietnam era, and are still paying the price today.
• July 2009: Fear That Hmong Culture Is Fading
• June 2007: Hmong Plot to Overthrow Communist Dictatorship in Laos Thwarted in US by Federal Agents
• June 2008: Survivor Recalls Flight from Laos

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