Thao, executive director of National Hmong American Farmers, immigrated to Fresno, CA with his family at age 8, after Laotian citizens were granted asylum in the US after the Vietnam war. Many of the first Hmong farmers suffered from discrimination, so Thao left his "cushy" job at the city of Fresno to ORGANIZE his community in a fight against injustice.

 

Using the experiences of community members, Thao has grown NHAF to promote economic development, training and assistance to create positive social change in his community. 

 

This video is part of a series produced by Not In Our School's parent company, The Working Group, for the Institute for Advancing Unity. This series focus on extraordinary people whose personal choices have inspired others to join in tremendous collective achievements.

 

Series Executive Producer: Edith Crawford
Concept Designer: Stephanie Francis
CEO, Institute for Advancing Unity: Dr. Robert M. Harris, Ph.D.