Summit at Sacramento State aims to help Hmong women ‘self-reflect, affirm, empower’

“Self-reflect. Affirm. Empower.”

A group of women from Sacramento aims to uplift younger women like them with workshops at a conference for students to learn, share and establish a sense of belonging.

The second Embracing Hmong Women Identities summit in Sacramento will be held Feb. 22 at Sacramento State University. Organizers are a group of Hmong women who target the workshops for Hmong female students in higher education to explore topics like identity development and community building.

Workshops hosted by professionals in graphic design, counseling and more aims to help students identify issues and solutions that impact not just the Hmong community but all Asian and Pacific Islanders, said Alyssa Her, public relations manager for the summit, such as on how to break the glass ceiling of gender barriers many API women face at home and at work. Counseling will be provided on the spot if needed.

There will be around 100 participants – 60 students, alumni and faculty members from other colleges, and 40 committee members, sponsors and volunteers, Her said. Deadline for registration is Jan. 31.

Star B. Lee, a south Sacramento native and former chair for the national Asian American and Pacific Islander Coalition Caucus for the United States Student Association, will be the keynote speaker. Lee, a student at University of California, Riverside, can connect with participants on relatable college struggles, Her said.

Jennifer Yang, founder of the summit, said she wanted to give back to women like her younger self after coming back to work full time at Sacramento State.

“It wasn’t until college that I saw my identity and what it is to be a Hmong woman,” the Sacramento State alum said. “Growing up, I had an identity crisis, having leadership roles at school and but having to attend to cultural expectations my parents has on me at home.”

At graduate school at University of Pennsylvania, Yang and others did a study on Hmong women in higher education, and saw how similar their stories were – the challenges they went through as young Hmong women and as a first-generation, low-income college student. So she gathered other Hmong women, brainstormed ideas and organized the first summit in 2018 with around 30 participants.

Her, a participant at the first summit, was blown away by how well coordinated and personable the event was.

“It was something really nice to have, a safe space where Hmong women can come together, talk about issues and struggles at home and school, and affirm each other,” Her said. “It was great to have a sense of belonging to my Hmong cultural roots.”

The all-female facilitators and panelists were welcoming and empowering, Her said, and their image and presence with high career titles made them role models for college students like herself.

“I want the same experience for participants and for the summit to continue annually so it can provide the opportunity I had for other Hmong women in the community,” Her said.

This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 4:00 AM.