Personal Narrative: My Voice In The Hmong Community

The lights dimmed. You could see everyone raising their hands while closing their eyes. In this moment, there was only silence. Each person keeping still. Tears running down the faces of the ones who have been touched. Touched not physically, but touched emotionally in the soul. In this moment there was no fear, there was only strength. Standing and gazing over all the people who were singing, I led them in praise and worship. For many years throughout my highschool career, I’ve led my youth and church through many worships noticing how each and every individual grows and prospers to enhance their fullest potentials. Leading through my voice has strengthen my voice. My voice has grown from a child to a young adults. Leading a group in my church through my voice has not always been easy though, but the ending reward of knowing what I have accomplished in aiding those who need the help is fulfilling.

This leadership is more directly to those people in the Hmong community. It’s made me appreciate the people I have around me and the bond I share with the Hmong community. As a little girl, my mother told me her experiences she had when she crossed the Mekong River into Thailand to escape the communist takeover. She told me she lost many during the trip. I never really understood the importance of her experience nor did I seem to care, but as I grew older, it showed me the importance of the Hmong culture and where my roots come from. I learned about Hmong history and how little the Hmong culture is known to the world. The Hmong people are a recent group of immigrants entering the United States. During the mid- 1970s, the first wave of Hmong immigrants arrived to the United States. Since then, the Hmong community has made a large impact and I would love to be part of