Carleton College’s weekly convocation series concludes on Friday, May 20 with a special appearance by Pakou Hang, co-found and director of the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA), a member-based organization created to serve, support, and advocate for Hmong American farmers and their families. Hang will present “To Everything There is a Season,” a discussion of her life story and the importance of promoting education in immigration issues.
This event, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Carleton convocations are also recorded and archived for online viewing at go.carleton.edu/convo/.
Hang’s extraordinary journey began in a refugee camp in Thailand. The second of seven children, she and her family immigrated to the United States when she was just 15 days old. The family originally settled in Wisconsin, but relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota, when she was 12 to pursue better economic and educational opportunities. Her childhood was spent picking cucumbers for Gedney Pickles and growing and selling vegetables at the local farmers markets.
Hang has worked for over 12 years as a community organizer. She is a recipient of the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Public Leadership Award, the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, and the newly inaugurated Bush Leadership Fellowship, which was the impetus for forming the farmers association in 2011. Hang earned a BA in political science in 1999 from Yale University and a MA in political science from the Univeristy of Minnesota in 2008. More about HAFA at www.hmongfarmers.com.
This event is sponsored by College Communications. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located on the Carleton campus in Northfield at the intersection of First and College Streets.
