| Pacyinz Lyfoung Meet a young environmental advocate in Madison by Anna Maria Manalo |
| When I first met Pacynz (Pai-ying) at the home of Melissa Scanlan, Founder of Midwest Environmental Advocates, I was immediately taken by her cosmopolitan magnetism. Pacynz was in Madison for the first time, interviewing for her current position at MEA. I am honored to introduce a new resident of Madison, who I'm sure we'll all be hearing about. (website: www.midwestadvocates.org) |
| AW: Where did you go to school, what is your education? |
| PL: I graduated from the University of MN-Twin Cities College of Liberal Arts for my undergraduate studies and from the University of MN Law School. |
| AW: Where is your family now? |
| PL: My parents live in Fresno, in the Central Valley in California. I have a brother who designs computer chips in the San Jose area; a sister who works for Northwest Airlines in Portland, OR; and two younger siblings in DC, the youngest sister is a computer programmer and the youngest brother will be attending college there. AW: How do you find Madison? |
| PL: Well, I have been too busy to really get to know Madison yet. My first impressions would be that, coming from the Twin Cities and wanting to be committed to old housing stock, I was slightly taken aback by the quality of the housing, which I was told takes a little bit of battering from student living. I am slightly proud of the fact that I ended up resisting moving to the edges of town, into some brand new apartment with many amenities, and instead finally decided to live in an older apartment in the city, toughing it out a little bit, to contribute to give a longer life to the old houses and the core city. I have had the chance to walk in the Arboretum and in the Olbrich Gardens, and was quite impressed by those beautiful community assets. My co-workers, having heard about my desire to try the waters of Madison, took me kayaking on Lake Wingra and showed me one of the fresh water springs that feed the lake. That was a lovely spot bordered by water lilies and forget-me nots. I am looking forward to kayaking, sailing, hiking and cross-country skiing in Madison, which will fit well with my job here focusing on working with communities to ensure a safe and healthy environment. AW: When did you arrive in the U.S. and what were your first impressions? PL: I came to the U.S. on December 31, 1985, with my family. We landed in Minneapolis, on the eve of the New Year. It was, of course, all cold, snowy and icy. Being French-born and raised, I was actually charmed by the winterwonderland scenery, which was very different from the temperate winters in the Paris region. Another first impression was that I was 16 at the time, a very serious Lycee (senior high) student who worried very much about coming to the land of Mickey Mouse, quite a far cry from my studies of 19th century French social writers. I guess I was a little bit of a snobbish French! But I loved connecting with the Hmong American community in Minnesota, learned to speak Hmong then, and also learned from my new Hmong American best friend about how much harder "good Hmong girls" had to work at home. It was an interesting introduction to the concept of what it meant to be Asian American: finding balance between traditional and modern roles. AW: Why did you come to the U.S.? PL: I came with my parents to the U.S. My parents had visited the U.S. for the first time in 1981, coming to see family members that had been resettled in the U.S. after the Communist takeover of Laos in 1975. They realized that there were actual Hmong American communities here, where the language and culture were being preserved. When they came back to France, they immediately applied for family reunification and work immigration visas. The paperwork was completed in mid-December of 1985, and less than two weeks later, we flew to the U.S. That's how big of a Hmong American dream my parents held in their hearts back then. For refugees who are left wandering the world, the concept of rebuilding community somewhere is a very strong pull: the Hmong American community in the US was it for my parents. |
| AW: What is a unique challenge you find as an Asian American? PL: When I first came to the US as a teen, I learned about becoming Hmong. Then I went to college at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. I became involved in student activism, because back in the late 1980s, there were so few Hmong American women who graduated from college. When I started at the U, I was invited to a reception for the five Hmong women freshmen who were entering that year. There were great hopes that we could get more support so some of us might actually graduate. I had a wonderful college advisor, Carolyn Nayematsu, who soon connected me to the Asian American Student Cultural Center and hired me to be the editor of the Asian American student body's newsletter. That student activism experience was one of the most marking episodes of my coming to age in the U.S. I learned about being Asian American, which for me meant that I could be that complex mix of East and West, French/Hmong/American, traditional/modern. It was a very fuzzy identity that could hold everything that I was and did not limit me from being less than everything that I was. I learned about being an activist: that trying to make a difference matters and that when we ourselves shake and move things a little bit, many others can benefit. When I left Minnesota, I was invited to a lovely farewell gathering by the API women there and as each of them shared their recollection of me, I realized that indeed what I do as an API woman activist, even when I don't mean to advance API or women issues, is observed, tracked, reflected upon by my peers and they get inspired and it makes a difference for them to see me running up and down in the community taking on new causes and trying out different things. Sometimes, it is great to be that kind of innovative and dedicated activist. Sometimes, it is a little bit hard. AW: Do you believe in the American Dream? If so, what is your vision? |
| PL: Yes, I do believe in the American Dream: that things are possible. But I also know that there are different opportunities to achieve the American Dream, and some people have so many things tying them down that they have lost their American Dream. My vision for social justice is to help make this world a better place where people can live with dignity, health, and happiness, if not wealth. I am inspired by something I read a long time ago, so when I look around and see something bad, I don't ask "why," instead, I ask "why not." I hope to use my energy and optimism to Madison and the environmental community: to protect, preserve, and restore the earth for all the people and the generations to come; to make environmental justice a reality for all people, especially people who have usually not been able to enjoy healthy and clean environments, and oftentimes they are the lower-income people, new Americans, Native Americans and longtime, non-White Americans. I am looking forward to living and working with the community here, and see what can happen! |
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