With spotlight on Sunisa Lee, a moment of pride for Hmong Americans
| St. Paul, Minn.
Cecelia Lee never imagined her family could be so quiet. But as she and 300 of Sunisa Lee鈥檚 family members and friends gathered in an Oakdale, Minnesota, events center last week to cheer her on thousands of miles away at the Tokyo Olympics, the gymnast鈥檚 aunt says the room reached 鈥渃ricket silence.鈥�
Judges were about to announce the winner of the individual all-around final 鈥� the most prestigious title for an Olympic gymnast. And then what they鈥檇 only dared dream about happened. Ms. Lee, the first-ever Hmong American to participate in an Olympic Games, won 鈥� becoming the fifth American woman to do so in a row.
鈥淚t felt so amazing; we had so much pride in knowing that she got it,鈥� says Cecelia Lee. 鈥淎ll of us were feeling like, this doesn鈥檛 happen to an ordinary person, and then one day it does. It鈥檚 surreal.鈥澨�
Why We Wrote This
Few Olympic sports capture U.S. viewers鈥� imaginations like gymnastics. When Sunisa Lee won gold last week, people across the country celebrated. But that win has special resonance for Hmong Americans.
The viewing party was just one of many events that Minnesota鈥檚 Hmong community has organized in her honor over the years. It鈥檚 held fundraisers to raise money toward her training and travel, and a large send-off in the days before she headed to Tokyo 鈥� which she was unable to attend due to COVID-19 concerns.
鈥淕ymnastics can be a costly sport, so anytime funds dried up, there was no doubt, we were going to step in and help,鈥� says Cecelia Lee.听听
The support of Sunisa Lee鈥檚 large family 鈥� she is one of six children 鈥� and the Hmong community in Minnesota has been crucial in catapulting her to success. Her parents have backed her dreams of being an Olympic gymnast, with father John once building her a makeshift balance beam to practice on in the backyard.
In Hmong American communities, where children see few professional athletes they can identify with, sports are often viewed as more of a hobby than a path to success. But Ms. Lee鈥檚 accomplishments听鈥� in addition to her听individual gold, a team silver and now a bronze in uneven bars听鈥撎齛re reshaping that image, and shining a spotlight on the community as a whole. As听Ms.听Lee looks to her final balance beam event Tuesday, she鈥檚 bringing more than pride; she鈥檚 changing perceptions about what it means to be Hmong American, both inside and outside the community.
鈥淔orty years ago, no one thought the Hmong people could move from surviving in the jungles [of Asia] to the jungles of America. They underestimated us,鈥� says Lee Pao Xiong, director of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University, St. Paul, who came to the United States as a refugee at 9 years old. 鈥淪unisa, a child of refugees, has won at the Olympics. We鈥檙e so emotional. It epitomizes the hopes and dreams our parents had for us: Work hard and you鈥檒l be successful. It鈥檚 possible in America, the land of opportunity.鈥澨�
鈥淵ou can do what you love鈥�
The Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in mountainous regions of China, Laos, and Vietnam, hold an important place in U.S. history. In the 1960s, amid the Vietnam War, the CIA recruited thousands of Hmong men in Laos, known as the 鈥淪ecret Army,鈥� to fight alongside U.S. soldiers. Meanwhile, those who remained saw their towns bombed and burned, and many were displaced.
In the 1970s, the first wave of Hmong refugees arrived in the U.S., and Minnesota is now home to one of the largest populations in the country, at more than 66,000.听Nearly 60% of Hmong Americans are considered low-income, and 1 in 4 live below the poverty line, according to a legal aid group, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles.
In the U.S., many parents put a premium on education as the best way for their children to get ahead.
鈥淲omen especially are very much pushed to get married and have children, but the main focus is on education. ... Go out, get a higher degree. That鈥檚 the key to having a successful future,鈥� says Kang Vang, a filmmaker who teaches citizenship classes at the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul. 鈥淚 think parents see it as, those who are educated don鈥檛 have to have the physically hard lifestyle they may have had themselves.鈥澨�
Even if many parents may not see sports as a means to an end, athletics are a vibrant part of the community. Every July, St. Paul holds the Midwest Hmong International Freedom Festival to display the sports, arts, and music talents of Hmong people from around the world. Hmong pro athletes include soccer players, a golfer, and an ice skater, and badminton is huge in high schools.
Still, for many young people, putting extracurriculars first often means forging a parent鈥檚 signature or fibbing about where they鈥檙e going after school. Lue 鈥淔inisher鈥� Thao is a St. Paul-based break dancer who says in high school his parents thought he was in a gang, as he often sneaked out at night. But he was only going to dance at the local rec center or at friends鈥� houses.
Now, even if Mr. Thao runs his Cypher Side Dance School in St. Paul and danced at the 2018 Super Bowl halftime show, his parents remain skeptical about his career choice. He hopes Ms. Lee鈥檚 win will help other parents recognize nontraditional life paths.听听
鈥淚t鈥檚 so awesome to see a Hmong American paving the way, to show you don鈥檛 have to be a doctor or lawyer,鈥� says Mr. Thao. 鈥淵ou can do what you love to do if it鈥檚 a positive thing; you just have to work hard for it.鈥澨� 听听
Teachable moment
Ms. Lee鈥檚 all-around title comes at a time when the Asian American community needed a win. Hate crimes against Asians in America rose sharply in 2020, according to advocacy groups, and听Ant贸nio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, has expressed over spikes in violence against people of Asian descent during the pandemic.
Watching an Asian American athlete reach international fame not only helps overturn general stereotypes, but it could also be an opportunity to educate Americans about the Hmong community, specifically.
鈥淲e get a lot of questions, like 鈥榃ho are the Huh-mongs鈥� or 鈥楢re you from Mongolia?鈥欌�� says Cecelia Lee, Sunisa鈥檚 aunt. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not trying to be disrespectful, but I hope [Sunisa鈥檚 visibility] will educate the country, not just about the Hmong people but everyone who is from a different community.鈥澨�
The young gymnast is already having an impact on her hometown. Following her all-around gold, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared last Friday 鈥淪unisa Lee Day鈥� in her honor.听
And more parents within Minnesota鈥檚 Hmong community are starting to see the benefits of gymnastics specifically. Ms. Lee鈥檚 coaches at Midwest Gymnastics Center, where she has trained since she was 6, say the gym has started to see more Hmong American girls, and Asian Americans in general, since she became a household name in the past few years.
鈥淣ow that parents are seeing that athletics can be a path to education, they鈥檙e starting to see things in a different light,鈥� says Punnarith Koy, Ms. Lee鈥檚 first coach. She will head to Auburn University in the fall on a full gymnastics scholarship. 鈥淸Her win] will have a huge impact. Anyone at her level is an instant role model.鈥�
