A community petition is calling for a public apology from the state’s Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans after its chair attempted to rush a group of Hmong elected officials off stage at a recent event.
The council, a non-cabinet agency in the executive branch of the state government, hosted Asian Pacific Islander (API) Day at the Minnesota Capitol on April 3. No Asian and Pacific Islander legislators were on the program, but Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy brought two state senators, Susan Pha and Foung Hawj, on stage with her. When they also brought two additional members of the Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucus on stage, Representatives Ethan Cha and Kaohly Vang Her, Pha was interrupted by the council’s board chair, Saraswati Singh.
The incident came in the wake of a disagreement that surfaced at a legislative committee hearing the previous week over how best to commemorate the beginnings of Minnesota’s Southeast Asian communities 50 years ago.
After Hawj gave his speech, Singh is seen in a recording of the event on stage telling the group that they are taking up time from other speakers. Pha continued her speech. After they left the stage, Singh called out the legislators for bringing additional guests on the stage who were not on the agenda.
“Of all the legislators who spoke, our [Asian Pacific Islander] legislators were the only ones that were interrupted while we spoke, told to get off the stage, and also told that we were not invited,” said Pha in a video posted on Facebook a day after the event.
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Pha added in her Facebook post that she requested the 10 Asian Pacific Islander members of the state legislature get a chance to speak at the event, but she was refused. The event also included a ceremonial opening with local Thai monks, speeches from Governor Tim Walz, community leaders, other state legislators, and a colonel from the National Guard.
The council’s former executive director Lee Pao Xiong is among more than 200 people petitioning for an apology from the council.
“That was very unprofessional,” Xiong said. “The state Legislature created you, and your role is to advise the governor and state legislature on issues affecting your respective communities. The API legislators have every right to be there in front of their constituents.”
After Pha and Hawj accompanied Murphy onstage, Hawj first addressed the audience and then passed the mic to Pha. As Pha approached the podium, the council’s board chair Saraswati Singh appeared on stage. Singh moderated the event.
“Senator Pha, you’re taking up other people’s time, please,” Singh said as she gestured for Pha to follow her off the stage.
“Let her finish, she’ll be brief,” Murphy said. She appears to offer her own speaking time to Pha.
“How many seconds?” Singh responded, as Pha began her speech.
In a written statement to Sahan Journal, Pha said the chair’s actions were “unnecessary and highly disrespectful.”
“It’s reminiscent of the trauma we dealt with, and continue to deal with when excluded from spaces we are told we don’t belong,” Pha said.
Once Pha ended her speech, Singh came back on stage to continue the program.
“We had three people up on stage and then two other people jumped in. They did not have permission to do so. They’re not on our agenda,” Singh said. She then named the two additional representatives.
“We think it’s really important to go with our theme of ‘We the People,’” Singh said. “I want to make sure, and the council wants to make sure, that this is not just about elected officials, this is about you and community leaders.”
The Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans did not respond to requests for comment after the event.
The council works with the governor, Legislature, state agencies, and community organizations to boost economic, social, legal, and political equality of Asian Pacific residents of Minnesota. Members are appointed by the governor and include state legislators.
Hawj, Cha, and Her also declined interview requests from Sahan Journal.
Event sparks outrage on social media
A petition has been circulating within the Hmong American Political Action Network group on Facebook calling for a formal apology from Singh, as well as an investigation into the integrity of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans.
“This incident, marked by an apparent lack of respect and recognition towards AAPI legislators by the Council’s leadership, is deeply troubling,” the petition says. “Their actions have significantly eroded the trust, credibility, and confidence of the AAPI community and the AAPI legislators.”
Representative Kaohly Vang Her, one of the legislators who joined Pha and Hawj on stage at API Day, posted photos from a rally the following day and said it’s unfortunate that the council “gate keeps who gets to be heard, seen, and on stage.”
“When I speak at rallies and events I bring up all of my colleagues in attendance,” Her’s post says. “Why? Because this work isn’t about me. Nothing gets done because of one person. I want the people, ‘We the People’ to see the collective of who is fighting hard everyday for them.”
St. Paul City Council Member Nelsie Yang shared Pha’s response in a Facebook post and said the council’s operations need “re-evaluation.”
“It’s time to appoint people into these seats who will be effective both in community and at the Capitol, especially with API folks. Also, they need to have basic respect for others,” Yang said on Facebook.
Disagreements over bill led up to the event
A tense discussion of a bill preceded API Day at the State Capitol. The House Legacy Finance Committee met a week before the event to discuss a bill sponsored by Representative Liz Lee to celebrate 50 years of Hmong and Southeast Asian communities in Minnesota.
The bill would have appropriated $300,000 to commemorate 50 years of Southeast Asians in Minnesota through grants to community organizations. It also would have funded $200,000 to the Minnesota Historical Society for programs celebrating the arrival of the first Hmong family in Minnesota in October 1975.
Singh was one of six individuals who testified against the bill, saying it focused on the Hmong community and did not include the Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Laotian communities, as well as Vietnam War veterans. Community leaders from the Coalition of Asian American Leaders and the Vietnamese Social Services testified in support of the bill at the committee meeting. The bill is still being discussed in the state House.
“I believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s really important to me because I’ve been a minority my whole life,” said Singh, who is the daughter of Indian immigrants. “We’re all used to not having our voice heard in government. We’re used to being ‘other.’ We’re also used to being pitted against other community groups.”
Her also spoke in the committee meeting in support of the bill and said that the Minnesota Asian Pacific legislative caucus heard from the Hmong community that it wanted its own celebration.
She said Lee’s bill offers the flexibility to hold multiple celebrations.
Xiong said the intent of the bill was to enable a community-led commemoration, rather than one that was hosted by the council or the state.
He added that Hmong community members who work at the Capitol have told him that the council has repeatedly opposed many of their legislative initiatives. The tension on stage may have been a result of that opposition, Xiong said.
The petition calls for the governor’s office to take action since many of the council members are appointed by the governor.
“The community is in shock,” Xiong said. “Everything comes down to the governor’s office. The community is waiting to see what the governor is going to do.”
Correction: This story has been updated to clarify that state Senators Susan Pha and Foung Hawj were not on the invite list for API Day. In a later part of the story, a paragraph has been updated to clarify a quote by Representative Kaohly Vang Her regarding the bill introduced by Representative Liz Lee.
