A Once Self-Muted Hmong Voice Speaks Fluently and Eloquently

I find most Soft Power Stories engaging and inspiring, but this one made me cry—the first time I have ever cried over a Toshiba typewriter. (When you listen, you'll know what I mean!)

Kao Kalia Yang describes her Hmong family in a way that is certain to stir hearts. She also made me appreciate anew why the Peace Corps Legacy Association chose Minnesota as the site of its Peace Plaza. The state has long been associated with a spirit of public service—from Senator Hubert Humphrey's early introduction of a United States domestic version of International Voluntary Services to the remarkable percentage of Peace Corps volunteers who came from the small Minnesota community where the plaza is being built. It is also home to many refugee families who, after being resettled elsewhere, found in Minnesota a second chance to build a life. Yang's story is a moving reminder of what can grow from that second chance—and of why so many people are determined to preserve it for others.