Dane County Board adopts resolution marking 50 years of Hmong presence and contributions

Dane County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing 2025 as the 50th anniversary of the Hmong migration to the United States and acknowledging the Hmong community’s cultural and civic contributions to Dane County.

The resolution, introduced and moved by Dane County Board Supervisor Brenda Yang and seconded by Supervisor Yogesh Chawla, passed by voice vote after several Hmong community leaders and organization representatives addressed the board. The measure “celebrates the myriad ways in which the Hmong people have enriched and served the Dane County community in the last 50 years” and affirms the county’s friendship and support for the Hmong community going forward.

The resolution text submitted to the board summarized migration history, demographic data and local contributions, noting national estimates of the Hmong American population and local cultural institutions. Supervisor Yang framed the celebration in personal terms, saying “to be Hmong is to be free,” and recounted family experiences of displacement, wartime trauma and cultural perseverance. Several local Hmong leaders spoke at the dais and described community programs and institutions that support cultural preservation, mental-health services and education in Dane County.

Baqing Ba, identified at the meeting as the president of the Hmong 18 Council in Wisconsin, told the board: “Our goal and our mission is to preserve and to maintain our cultural identity.” Nancy Yang (introduced at the meeting as president and CEO of the Wisconsin Hmong Association) and Dua Vang, a longtime local service provider, spoke about community organizing, cultural events and the Madison Hmong New Year as continuing sites of cultural transmission. The resolution text specifically references the Madison Hmong New Year and local organizations including the Wisconsin Hmong Association and the Hmong Institute.

The board adopted the resolution without recorded roll-call vote; the clerk recorded the voice vote and the chair announced the motion carried. After the adoption the board and community leaders posed for a commemorative photograph at the dais.

The adoption follows minutes in the resolution text noting Hmong settlement in Dane County starting in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the formation of clan leadership structures locally, and the role of Hmong community members across sectors including education, health, social services and small business ownership. The measure asks the county to recognize February 2025 (as typed in the original resolution) as a milestone year for the Hmong community in the United States, Wisconsin and Dane County and to celebrate its contributions going forward.

Officials present said the recognition aims to support cultural preservation and local programs that serve Hmong elders, youth and families.