Sunisa Lee pioneered the Hmong Americans to ever compete representing the United States of America. The 18-year-old athlete performed exceptionally well and went on to win the gold medal for the country. Lee had already created ripples when she was selected for representing the US. She was the first-ever Hmong American to be given the opportunity. She did not fail expectations and performed with all of her energy, power, and boldness, managing to win the gold medal.
This is a very inspiring story that almost feels like straight out of a Hollywood movie script. Of course, all of it starts long before Sunisa took birth when the CIA asked the Hmong to help keep out the North Vietnamese communists from Laos. Things took a turn for the worse when Laos failed to keep up in 1975.
Hmong Community And Their Support Towards Sunisa Lee
Among the thousands of refugees belonging to the Hmong community were Susan’s parents, Yeev Thoj and John Lee. They had chosen to be among the ones who made a very difficult journey from Laos to Thailand and from Thailand to the United States. Most of the people from the community failed to get the land promised to them. Nearly 60% of the members of the community are part of the low-income group and more than 25% suffer from poverty.
The Hmong community, despite the hardships, is supportive, and numerous members gathered together at a community center to cheer for Susan’s quest in the Olympic games. Susan feels grateful and stated that her house was not big enough to fit all the people, hence they had to gather at the community center to watch her games together.
However, the statements passed by Susan were laced with a little sadness. She stated that the members of her Hmong community along with herself have had to face many hardships. She strongly urges people to not give up and pursue their dreams.
