EXPLORE THE PROJECT
This project started when my father passed away in 2024. Going through his things — photos, documents, everyday objects — I realized I didn't know how to preserve any of it. I also realized how much of our family's history existed only in memory and spoken stories, never written down. As a 1.5-generation Hmong American, that felt like something worth fixing.
So I started doing the work myself. Through my graduate program at the University of Minnesota and a fellowship with the Ramsey County Historical Society and the Center for Hmong Studies, I built out the tools, research, and resources you'll find here — so others can do the same.
Archives connect the past to the present and help shape identity. Family archives show how personal stories fit into larger cultural narratives. When private and public collections come together, it empowers individuals to preserve their histories and strengthens community identity and voice.
This summary is informed by the following research:
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Beel et al., Cultural resilience: The production of rural community heritage, digital archives, and the role of volunteers (2017)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.05.002 -
Woodham et al., We are what we keep: The “family archive,” identity, and public/private heritage (2017)
https://doi.org/10.1080/2159032X.2018.1554405