Former Nobel Prize Nominee To Speak On Underappreciated American Ally in Vietnam War
Called the “Secret War” by many of its veterans, the conflict in Laos that transpired in concert with Vietnam War is an important, if often overlooked, chapter in American history.
In the years following the United States’ withdrawal from the region, a group of native Laotians who aligned themselves with the U.S. have faced persecution at home, while also struggling to gain official recognition of their sacrifices in America.
More than a quarter-million Hmong people now live in the U.S—10,000 of them in North Carolina alone. Their relationship to the Vietnam War and the challenges they’ve faced, in healthcare and beyond, is the topic of an upcoming event hosted by CHHS.
The Asian American Lecture Series will feature former Pulitzer and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Jane Hamilton-Merritt, a journalist who photographed and wrote about the Vietnam War from the front lines, embedded for much of the time with Hmong soldiers and civilians.
Dr. Hamilton-Merritt’s highly acclaimed book Tragic Mountains describes the Hmong role in an American-backed effort to defeat communist forces in Laos, and the hardship and violence they faced in the morass of late-70s Indochina.
The two-day event will include a lecture with Dr. Hamilton-Merritt, as well as a panel discussion with Hmong-American veterans and survivors of the war in Laos.
The event is subsidized by the Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund.
Event Details
Lecture with Dr. Hamilton-Merritt
March 18th
6-8 p.m.
McKnight Hall, Cone Center, UNC Charlotte
Q & A with Dr. Hamilton-Merritt and Panel
March 19th
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
McKnight Hall, Cone Center, UNC Charlotte
Register
by: Wills Citty
“Lao, Hmong, and American Veterans Memorial” by PBS NewsHour is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0