Latinos Help Elect First Hmong City Council Member in California

By Eduardo Stanley, New America Media, Translated by Elena Shore

Traducción al español

FRESNO, California -- Nov. 28, 2006 - In one of the greatest surprises of the Nov. 7 elections, a Hmong immigrant was elected to the City Council of Fresno in California’s Central Valley. Blong Xiong, who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand 37 years ago, triumphed in one of the most racially diverse districts of this city of half a million people – 40 percent of whom are Latino.

“During my campaign I promised to work hard,” said Xiong. “I’ve served the community for years and I believe I have something to offer people.” Xiong came to the United States when he was five years old. After living in Missouri, Kansas and Wisconsin, his family moved to Fresno, where he got a Master’s degree in business administration. Xiong is currently the director of the Fresno Center for New Americans, an organization that helps integrate the Hmong community into American society.

The Hmong are natives of southern China who began to migrate to the mountains of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Laos is now home to the majority of the world’s Hmong population. During the Vietnam War (1964-1973), many Hmong participated in the “Secret War” the United States waged against the Vietcong guerrillas of North Vietnam.

In 1975, with the arrival of Patet Lao to power, Hmong who collaborated with the CIA were forced to flee the country. After years of living as refugees in Thailand, many were admitted to the United States.

“As children, we learned English before our parents so we translated for them and them understand this society,” Xiong says, smiling. He adds that many of these children developed an interest in community work, as he did.

Xiong spent almost a year working on his campaign. In the primary elections in June, he came in second by a difference of only seven votes. On Nov. 7, he won by more than 800 votes and in January, 2007, he will take office as the representative of District No. 1 in Fresno, one of the most racially diverse in the city.

“I tell my people that I have the responsibility to serve everyone who lives in the district,” he says, referring to expectations that his victory could help the Hmong population—which now totals 35,000 people in Fresno County and nearly 70,000 in California.

“We are proud of him; he made history in California,” says Mai Vue, a teacher and activist in Fresno. “He will be the voice of our people.” Vue adds that among the issues Xiong will face in Fresno are housing, infrastructure and urban sprawl. These problems are common to many Central Valley cities—and affect all ethnic groups.

It is not surprising, then, that many Latino voters supported Blong Xiong’s candidacy. “We told people he was an immigrant, like us, and that he understood our situation,” says Oralia Maceda, a native of Oaxaca, Mexico, who participated in a local Latino voter drive. “Xiong is a member of an ethnic minority and now is the time to unite and support him.”

The voter drive, financed by unions and community organizations, was conducted for 25 days prior to the elections and included the participation of 30 volunteers who worked for hours everyday to encourage registered Latino voters to go to the polls. One week before the Nov. 7 elections, the number of volunteers rose to 70.

“I think we succeeded in convincing a lot of people to vote,” says an enthusiastic Maceda. Considering the increase in support for Xiong in this election, these efforts seem to have paid off.

“I kept the same message in both campaigns,” says Xiong. Regarding the immigration marches earlier this year, he says, “the voice of immigrants should be heard” and although he recognizes that it is a federal issue, he says he “will keep the dialogue open” with the local immigrant community. Xiong compares his own experience to that of many immigrants, especially Latinos. He comes from a family with seven siblings and has suffered economic hardships, he says.

Xiong is concerned by the City Council’s decision this year to eliminate Fresno’s Human Relations Committee. However, he plays down the suggestion that Fresno could pass a resolution similar to that approved in the Southern California city of Escondido, which prohibits renting housing to undocumented immigrants.

“Lots of politicians forget about the voters once they are elected,” he says. “I want to keep in contact with the people.” Despite expectations about his political future beyond Fresno, Xiong prefers not to speculate. “I want to concentrate on my next four years. After that, we’ll see what happens.”