Oshkosh is one of the refugee resettlement cities in the Fox Valley Region, and many immigrants and newcomers come through our door. Still, many misconceptions and myths about immigrants and the complex US immigration system remain.
To offer guidance and foster community conversations on this topic, WALC will be hosting monthly learning circles focused on all things immigration-related starting February 2025. The activities we will engage in these learning circles will range from teach-ins by invited speakers to facilitated group discussions moderated by our Executive Director Dr. Chu May Paing.
Targeted audience: WALC staff, teachers, and volunteers, Community members with interest in learning more about immigration and immigrants, Community advocates who want to expand their knowledge about different immigrant cultures and to better develop cultural sensitivity when interacting with people from diverse backgrounds
The May Immigration Learning Circle will feature Dr. Pam Her sharing her story, Bridging Two Worlds – Forging an Identity. The Hmong have been in the United States for 50 years and yet to many, they are still the best kept secret of the Vietnam War. Dr. Pafoua (Pam) Her was part of the earliest Hmong families that resettled in the United State as political refugees after the Vietnam War. She arrived with her family in 1976 and while many have considered her family as one of the fortunate ones that did not have to endure the lengthy trials and tragedies in Laos and Thailand after the war, she and her family did not escape the challenges that awaited them in the United States as the unidentified, unacknowledged allies of the US during the Vietnam War. Dr. Her will discuss her personal experiences as a refugee child, young adult and woman in the United States and how she forged her identity and leveraged her experiences to create understanding, inclusion and unity. She will also discuss several aspects and traditions of the Hmong culture such as marriages, funerals, family relationships, clan structures, and more
In June, the Immigration Learning Circle with by presented by Dr. Choua Xiong and Dr. Chong Moua on Refugee Living: Oral Literacy in HMoob Pedagogy. Utilizing HMoob oral traditions, this workshop explores the concept of “living pedagogy” as a framework for understanding refugee communities. experiences. Participants will learn about HMoob oral traditions and participate in an interactive activity where the workshop facilitators will demonstrate how we all incorporate “living” into our every day practices and relationality.
Dr. Choua Xiong is an Assistant Professor of Hmong Studies at UW Oshkosh who teaches courses in Hmong Studies, Anthropology, and Education Studies. Her research is informed by her activism as an educator in Southeast Asian community-based educational spaces, schools, and higher education. Dr. Choua led various collaborative and community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) projects that highlight the roles communities of color play in educating youth about schooling, political participation, and belonging.
Dr. Chong Moua is an Assistant Professor of Hmong Studies and History at UW Oshkosh who teaches introduction to Hmong Studies and Asian American History courses. Her research, teaching, and curatorial interests are to tell HMong stories centering HMong voices and HMong experiences. Dr. Moua has partnered with several institutions to curate exhibitions and promote public scholarship including the Paine Art Center and Gardens, University of Wisconsin-Madison Archive, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Wisconsin Historical Society, and the Orange County Education Department.
More information on future Immigration Learning Circles coming soon!
Past Immigration Learning Circles –
