Minnesota Homeownership Center generously sponsors Community Conversations. 

In an event celebrating the groundbreaking achievements of immigrants in Minnesota,  Sahan Journal and MPR News brought together a group of “firsts.” During a 90-minute conversation, hosts Alberto Gomez and Nina Moini interviewed individuals who’ve overcome hurdles to become the first in their family or community to do something special. 

Hosted on October 17 at the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, this Sahan Community Live and North Star Journey Live event gathered Minnesota trailblazers for a live conversation with a standup comedy performance. The speakers included, 

• Chenue Her, the first Hmong man to become a TV news anchor 
• Michael Vang, one of the first Hmong soccer players to play professionally in the United States 
• Remona Htoo, one of the first Karen children’s book authors in the U.S. 
• Rodrigo Cala, the first in his family to buy a farm in the U.S. 
• Zaynab Mohamed, the first person under age 26 to win a seat in the Minnesota Senate.

Comedian Abenezer Merdassa fired up the crowd with his comedy set, and reflections on being the first to pursue standup in his Ethiopian family. During his set, Abenezer highlighted his immigrant experience, family, friendships — and what may happen when the human race engages with aliens. 

“We are all the human race and yet we have had things like racism,” said Merdassa. “Can you imagine how bad we are going to be when there’s actually a different race here?”

A video of the show is available here; MPR News aired the event on October 24 (click here for a recording). 

Before the event, Sahan visited sites across Minneapolis and St. Paul to find folks who were the first in their families to accomplish something notable. Check out our Instagram reel and TikTok to watch their personal stories.

What does it feel like to be the first? 

Minnesota Senator Zaynab Mohamed kicked off the night by discussing her journey to become the first person under age 26 to win a Minnesota Senate seat. 

Mohamed represents Senate District 63, which includes parts of south Minneapolis, Richfield and Fort Snelling. During her time in office, Mohamed has prioritized issues such as predatory uses of contract-for-deeds in home sales, rent vouchers, and Driver’s Licenses for All. Mohamed expressed pride in representing her community in the state legislature. 

“It’s exciting. It is a big deal. And I feel honored and privileged to be able to do this but it also comes with an immense responsibility,” Mohamed said.

Farmer Rodrigo Cala also described great pride in achieving his own “first.” Cala grew up in a family of farmers from a rural community outside Mexico City, and he is the first in his family to own land in the United States. Cala operates a 46-acre organic farm in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. 

Cala’s success, he said, comes from his hard work and determination. He moved to the U.S. in 1998 and worked in a factory for ten years making horseshoes. Yet Cala missed the flavors of Mexico and began his journey back into farming. He started from the ground up.  

“I build my credit from zero. I take business classes for my farm,” said Cala. “One of the main things I figured out in the beginning was the power for getting our own land. It took me six years to do that.”

Cala shared the satisfaction he feels in land ownership. “When I finish my day, I feel like this is mine,” he said. “This country is no country of dreams; it’s a country of calls and opportunities. If you have the opportunity to figure that out in the beginning you can change your life and the life of your family.”

The path to pro soccer starts at age five 

Michael Vang started playing soccer at 5 years old on St. Paul’s East Side. At age 13, he realized it could be a career. In 2020, Vang became one of the first Hmong soccer players to join a professional league in the United States: Vang played forward for Madison FC.

The journey to professional soccer was not easy for Vang. He hopes young players see him as a role model. “Being able to be an example for the younger generation and to inspire the youth to want to reach where I ended up or go past me is something I’m really proud of,” said Vang. 

For many of the speakers, becoming the first happened after enduring great challenges. Remona Htoo, a self-published Karen children’s book author, spent 10 years in a refugee camp in Thailand before immigrating to the United States. Her journey writing children’s books, she said, has helped her heal from some of those childhood traumas. 

Htoo grew up suppressing her emotions. She wrote her recent book, “I Am Here For You,” to give parents the opportunity to discuss emotions with their children. She wants families to “develop strong bonds.”

“I write this book for my inner child. And also for my daughter; she’s four,” Htoo said. “For Karen people, or people who grew up in the war zone, or come from generations of traumas, talking about feelings and expressing feelings is not a luxury. You can’t just sit down and talk to your parents about feeling.’”

The book reminds Htoo to love herself. “It’s a reminder to me that I am love. I don’t need to earn to be loved. I deserve the love,” she said. 

Who in Laos is streaming ‘Good Morning Iowa’?

Throughout the night, speakers mentioned the great privilege and responsibility that comes with being the first. Chenue Her, the first male Hmong news anchor in the U.S., said he doesn’t take that experience for granted. 

Her, who grew up on the East Side of St. Paul, recently returned home to Minnesota and started a new job as a morning news anchor for Fox 9. How’s he feeling about being back? Well, happy is an understatement. 

“It feels like home. It’s very full circle. I grew up with my parents in the mornings, as we get ready for school, as we get ready for work, we watched the Fox 9 morning show.” Now, Her said, he appears on a show that his parents still watch — delivering the news alongside some of the same TV presenters he watched growing up.  

“It’s the ultimate homecoming. I couldn’t have drawn it up any more picture-perfect,” said Her. 

Throughout his journey, Her has embraced the opportunity to represent Hmong people across the country — and internationally, too. 

“It’s an honor to be able to do that,” he said. “It allows me to be able to connect with Hmong people from all over. When I first started anchoring in Des Moines, I would look at our digital numbers and who’s streaming. And I’m like, ‘Who in Laos is streaming “Good Morning Iowa?”’ 

Although Her has won praise now, his family didn’t instantly encourage his career pursuit. 

“My parents were like, ‘You don’t want a real job?’ We didn’t know any Hmong people in TV news at the time. ‘Is this a space you can be in?’” 

Other speakers shared similar concerns they heard from family members. Mohamed said her family supported her run for office, but it took some convincing.

“Being in the public eye comes with a lot of scrutiny,” Mohamed said. 

Other scrutiny came from voters who questioned whether someone so young would be ready for the job. During her campaign, Mohamed recalled, she tried to find ways to appear older. Yet some voters in her district seemed excited to have a young person representing them. 

With both groups, Mohamed ultimately said, she strives to show she’s just a “regular girl from south Minneapolis.”

Overcoming challenges 

The journey to become the first doesn’t come without steep challenges. 

In June 2023, Vang retired from soccer at 25 due to injuries to his ACL, MCL and ankle. But his passion and commitment to helping the new generation of soccer players remains. Vang recently started a nonprofit, Michael Vang Sports Foundation, to give low-income families the opportunity to play club sports, while prioritizing their mental health. 

Inspired by the challenges he’s faced, Vang is now pursuing a masters degree in sports psychology. “I know there’s a lot of athletes that are seeking help and need help in this field,” Vang said. 

Her recounted overcoming pressures from managers in the news industry who asked him to change his name.

“In rural areas of America,” he recalled, the familiar Hmong name Chenue Her “was probably not going to be very attractive to viewers.” 

He continued, “My name was given to me at birth by my parents, blessed by my grandparents, and my name is very Hmong. And that was something I was not willing to compromise.” 

Cala presented his own lessons about how immigrant farmers can get into organic farming. 

That work demands hard planning around finances and a business plan. “Start small,” he said. ”Focus on the business side and then, if you figure out what product or what things you can sell to people, you’re on a good track.”

Cala noted that the median age of an American farmer is 58 years old. Younger immigrants, he said, should look for opportunities to use new agriculture programs and technology. 

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