The KillHmongers of Hmong America — Relation Through Oppression

I’d like to think that I have been growing quite in the same experience as those who share similar identities labelled to me by society. Growing up Asian American in California, most Hmong Americans are generally associated with the Asian stereotype alongside the diverse Asian ethnics that exist alongside us in elementary school to high school. I also believed this to be true until I started noticing also the indifference in the way I was treated alongside my Asian peers. It was difficult to understand why I was treated different even though I felt we had similar experiences at the time.
Other Asian ethnicities tend to shun me when it came to discussing Asian media and characters that we could relate to. While most of my Asian peers in primary school always got to pick the ‘strong’ or ‘smart’ character, I was always associated with being the ‘unpopular’ or ‘dumb’ character. For example, there was a moment I recall in which a few Asian peers and I wanted to play characters from Shaolin Soccer in the schoolyard during the lunch period. I don’t think I’ve actually seen the movie at the time as now I’ve connected it has no relation to what my family environment is and my culture. Of course, every single Asian boy on the schoolyard had seen the movie and picked themselves characters like Iron Legs or Golden Legs while they all forced me to be the undesirable, fat character ‘Little Brother’. I had no idea who he was at the time and had no choice but to agree to the character given to me without understanding the inter-racism of what was going on. Of course, ‘Little Brother’ was part of the good guys in the movie and was actually a simplistically, funny character who helped win the final soccer match in the movie. But in reviewing why I was picked as him was the acceptance that inter-racism exists. I would have preferred to be the antagonist’s team in the movie. But this could not be allowed as they were portrayed as powerful, antagonizing characters who challenged even the best of the good guys in the movie. I could only be associated with the funny, undesirable character. I could not be as good as them. These sorts of experiences occurred throughout primary school, even one resulting in physical altercation.
After high school, I realized that I had to disconnect myself from trying to be familiar with other Asian ethnicities because I lacked understanding of my own. It caused much more harm than good as I was trying to find strength as a minority in America by enabling myself to be oppressed again by my own history from other imperialist nations. This made me upset at the terms I’ve come with at everyone, including disappointment in myself.
I would say, originally, I would’ve wanted to share experiences and connect with other Asian American students more as we are sharing some connections with being grouped together by a ‘white’ society which includes their attempt to diminish us. But this only reinforces the erasure of my people and our history when I am not represented by the voices of those who want to fight that battle. So I made amends to find the change and representation that I wanted to create for my people and our community. In doing so, I hoped that the plight of my people would be cured and we would be as free as our stories tell about our bloodline; ‘a free people’.
I have found that most in my community are still ways away from experience in finding that passion to reach for that freedom. The belief in moderacy only prolongs the idea that we submitting to our oppressors in history, scared of retaliation. I can no longer go with the idea that the majority of my community understands the attempts made by others, including Asian Americans, that we are in the best interest of their attempt to uplift Hmong American experiences. So I’ve made attempt to do this alone even if that includes ripping the alliance of those in my own Hmong community. I have become angered and upset by the inaction and unwillingness of the Hmong community to understand the bigger picture. I am pursuing this without needing their alliance, even if it means alone. I have found my connection with Killmonger.
When I first heard of the Black Panther movie, I believed it to be just another superhero movie. That the tale was going to be one where a super-villain terrorizes a group and somehow a savior will come to save them all. Eventually convincing myself to go watch the movie a week after it came out, I was quite surprised at the narrative that played. I believe T’Challa was a great King for ‘his’ people but his disconnect from all of his people’s struggles and internal politics would only mean that there is still much work to be done. At first, I wanted to agree with T’Challa and understood the necessity to stop Killmonger from destroying their home. But once I reflected on my own experiences, Killmonger became a much more appealing character because his narrative gives one that while people play with moderacy because they are comfortable, others will suffer.
This doesn’t mean that Killmonger is the perfect source of drawing our radicalism, or heck, advocacy even. Killmonger is but the reflection of a few Hmong men and women who have had enough of our moderacy and unwillingness to participate in politics, especially when we have individuals who are invested deeply in understanding it. There are two environments of politics that we need to re-evaluate according to the experiences of Killmonger. Number one, not participating in the Asian American experience in decolonizing representation of Asian Americans, as if Hmong Americans are not having our own inter-racism within the Asian community. Number two, not listening to oppressed groups in our own Hmong community and not investing academic research while vaguely and pretentiously participating in our politics. There are a few individuals in the community who are willing to throw away the alliances of moderates in order to push for the change we need. Additionally, those are also the ones who are willing to invest time to find the root of the issue at hand while moderates try to silence their work.
We need to reassess our alliances to see where we truly stand. Knowing our stance, is this for the benefit of those who are oppressed? If so, do our alliances hinder or promote our movement? Nevertheless, work must constantly be done and I applaud the KillHmongers of America who have decided not to wait another death or another lost soul before deciding that we need to work. The Black American narrative already shows the problems of moderacy, but of course, only those who’ve invested the time to understand it would’ve seen why we need to work harder; an unfortunate storyline told time and time again and won by the oppressor.
