A former St. Paul Public Schools teacher and Hmong refugee wants to bring the American Dream to fruition by getting elected to Congress in Minnesota’s Fourth District.
During an interview with Alpha News, May Lor Xiong shared her family’s story of fleeing communists in Laos during the Vietnam War. Xiong’s father fought alongside the United States CIA, with a duty to protect American soldiers.
After seeking refuge in Ban Vinai in Thailand, Xiong’s family emigrated to America in 1987.
Xiong arrived to Minnesota at the age of eight. She described the foreign buildings and street lights she saw during her first car ride into Minneapolis.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t even know where I am.’ I thought this was heaven. There were so many stars. I thought those lights were stars. I was in the car and my hands were reaching out to grab the stars. They were like, ‘No those are street lights. At night they turn those on so drivers can see,'” Xiong explained.
Xiong is a mother of four and she has two sons who serve in the military.
“My oldest son, his mission is to protect Minnesota. My youngest son, his mission is to protect the world and now my mission is to protect and serve America,” Xiong said.
The former educator said the left is diminishing American values and destroying businesses. She hopes to restore what was broken.
“As immigrants, coming from communism and being manipulated and controlled, this is something that we have to make sure we protect, the freedom that we have in this country,” Xiong said.
Pafoua Yang
Pafoua Yang is a reporter for Alpha News. She has worked as an on-air reporter for stations across the Twin Cities.
