The Hmong Archives (http://hmongarchives.org/) is one of the greatest resources at ESFL.  Founded in 1999 by former Minnesota Historical Society archivist Marlin Heise, in collaboration with Hmong community leaders, its mission is “to research, collect, preserve, interpret, and disseminate materials in all formats about or by Hmong.”  Over the past 20 years, more than 1100 donors have contributed more than 208,000 items to the Archives’ collections, and they have been used by more than 4,600 researchers and visitors.  ESFL is pleased to be in a partnership with the Hmong Archives, providing them with a home that is not only safe and welcoming, but is accessible to scholars, students, and learners of all sorts.
 
Two years ago, Twin Cities Public Television (TPT-2) produced a documentary, Minnesota Remembers Vietnam: America’s Secret War, directed by Lisa Blackstone.  Now, in collaboration with the Minnesota Humanities Center, the Hmong Archives, and the East Side Freedom Library, this film is being used as a learning resource for Minnesota teachers.  On Tuesday, January 7, more than 40 local teachers and community members will visit ESFL to view the film, discuss it with the director and her advisors, and be provided an introduction to the resources of the Hmong Archives by Marlin Heise and his associate, Dr. Brian Vangtou Xiong.  Participants will learn not only about the growing collection of published books, but also the stunning collection of paj ntaub, the Hmong story cloths through which history was represented and interpreted for generations.
 
In 2020 and beyond, we look forward to return visits from these teachers, class visits from their students, and the presence of individual and group researchers working on National History Day projects.  Our resources will help them explore 2020’s theme, “Breaking Barriers.”  What could be more fitting?
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