[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 141 (Friday, September 2, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E896]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING PHOUA THAO HANG

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ILHAN OMAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 2, 2022

  Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Phoua 
Thao Hang. She leaves behind a large and loving family in Minnesota, 
and a legacy that will continue to inspire our community for years to 
come.
  Phoua was born in 1952 in Sa Luong, Laos. She grounded her life in 
service to community, sharing cultural wisdom with younger generations 
of Hmong Minnesotans who did not get to experience the same life she 
did--being carried on her father's back from village to village, 
planting rice seedlings, and gathering water for her family before the 
sun rose.
  Phoua's family noted that over the course of her life, she worked as 
``an assembly operator, a waitress, a certified seamstress, a wreath-
maker, and a farmer.'' Phoua became a distinguished member of the Twin 
Cities' Hmong community and contributed to countless efforts to build 
political, social, and economic capital. She was known as a mainstay of 
the St. Paul Farmers Market, where she sold her family's fruits and 
vegetables for two decades. She was a founding member of the Hmong 
American Farmers Association where she ``led the charge to lease a 155-
acre farm, helped launch a marketing cooperative and food hub, 
spearheaded a micro-lending program, and tested key modules in a 
national training program,'' as remarked by Minnesota Governor Tim 
Walz.
  Phoua instilled in her children and grandchildren that sense of 
service, and our community will continue to be blessed by their 
thoughtful and impactful contributions in government, non-profits, and 
business. Phoua was killed senselessly on July 17, 2022, in a hit-and-
run accident that has forever changed countless lives. I hold Phoua, 
her family, and our community in my heart as we honor her incredible 
legacy.

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