May Song Vang
May Song Vang (February 5, 1951 – August 5, 2013) was an American Hmong community leader and activist. She was the widow of General Vang Pao, a former member of the Royal Lao Army and prominent Hmong American leader, who died in 2011. May Song Vang became a more prominent symbol of the Hmong American community in California and the rest of the United States after the death of her husband.[1][2]
Biography
Vang was born to parents, Nhia Chou Moua and Yee Lee, on February 5, 1951, in the northern village of Phou Dou,
May Song first met her future husband, then military commander Vang Pao, while she was treating injured soldiers.
General Vang Pao died from pneumonia on January 6, 2011. As his widow, May Song Vang, already a leading figure in the community, took on a more prominent role in Hmong American affairs.[1] She mediated and resolved disputes within the Hmong American community.[3]
In 2012, she attended the official dedication of Vang Pao Elementary School in the southeast section of
May Song Vang also founded the General Vang Pao Foundation in 2012.[1] Based in Fresno, the foundation supports economical disadvantaged Hmong families.[1]
May Song Vang died from cancer at the
A traditional Hmong funeral was held at the Fresno Fairgrounds from August 23 until August 26, 2013.
References
- ^ Fresno Bee. 2013-08-06. Archived from the originalon 2013-09-01. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "May Song Vang dies from cancer". Asian American Press. 2013-08-11. Retrieved 2013-09-03.
- ^ Fresno Bee. Archived from the originalon 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2013-09-03.