I cannot be Hmoob without being a womxn and I cannot be a womxn without being Hmoob. Therefore, I cannot not be a feminist. Let me tell you why.
These are my two social identities that cannot be without the other. Like carbon dioxide and oxygen, the world cannot be whole. Therefore, I would not be who I am today without both. Due to these two identities, I have become grounded in who I am, who I choose to be, and how I plan to empower other Hmoob womxn.
There are many layers in being a Feminist Hmoob Womxn. Each layer uncovers experiences of love, hurt, trauma, pain, growth, forgiveness, and empowerment. The best part is that Hmong Feminism is different for each Hmoob womxn.
It was also different for my mother.
Although my mother never received an education or had the chance to study theoretical concepts or frameworks, she understood and practiced Hmoob feminism in her own way.
There were subtle everyday actions and large life-changing actions that informed me of her feminism.
It was in the way she left an entire country carrying her little sister on her back. It was in the way she woke up before the peaking sun every morning to cook for her parents. It was in the way she boldly spoke against my father when she knew she was right. It was in the way she always reached out to my aunts whenever they were in need.
But most importantly, it was in the way she raised me.
Strong, but not overpowering.
Kind, but not soft.
Loving, but not weak.
She silently taught me through her subtle actions and gestures, that a Hmoob feminist can be many things. I do not have to be on the streets holding up signs or participating in walkouts to be advocating for my fellow Hmoob sisters as well as social justice and equity.
Although, yes, my mother, like all people, had toxic traits and continued to follow problematic traditions that oppressed womxn and perpetuated a misogynistic and patriarchal culture, she still fought against it all in her own ways. She survived an entire culture and society not created for her to thrive.
Feminism was created with the exclusion of womxn of color, especially the voices of black womxn. From my observations, conversations, and dialogues, feminism in the United States looks very different for my Hmoob sisters and peers because our narratives and experiences are not included in the conversation. We have complex experiences that cannot be articulated in the . We do not yet have theoretical frameworks and concepts that represent our experiences or comprehends the intersectionalities we hold in the United States.
If I had to put Hmoob feminism into words, it would be an entire novel that would never end, with countless examples of narratives from Hmoob womxn explaining how they have fought everyday life to survive.
It would be about how Hmoob womxn withstood war, fought for their daughters, sons, and children. It would be about how the Hmoob people do not have a “homeland ” and so the Hmoob womxn find home, community, and support within their families, other Hmoob womxn, and themselves. It would include how the first generation of Hmoob womxn in first world countries navigate society while still holding true to their roots, but most importantly, it would include how my Hmoob womxn have survived, and have continued to thrive, persist, prosper, and flourish.
Being Hmoob, Womxn, and Feminist, are all salient identities to me. All are intertwined in a way that cannot be separated. Although hard, I cannot be more proud to be Hmoob, Womxn, and Feminist, and for that, I thank all the Hmoob womxn before me who silently fought, challenged, resisted, and worked to dismantle oppression in their own little ways.
