This Month in History

From Smithsonian Asian Pacific American (APA) Program Newsletter:

"Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act and Vietnam War Memorial

After a year of†activism from the Hmong community, the Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act of 2000 passed into law on May 26. It provided two main benefits for Hmong fighters who supported the U.S. during the Vietnam War era.

According to the Act, veterans who are refugees of the Vietnam war and served during 1961 to 1978, are allowed exemptions of English tests in reading, writing, and speaking. They are also given special consideration for the civics test, allowing them to have an interpreter or to take the test in their native language. In addition, widows of Hmong veterans are given these rights. This act facilitated naturalization among Hmong refugees, especially for the elderly and disabled.

Also in this month, on May 6, 1981, a panel of judges selected the design of young Yale University undergraduate student Maya Lin to be the design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. Controversy arose as a small group within the Vietnam veterans community questioned both the design and Lin's experience. One person called the monument a 'black scar,' and the group demanded the entire design be changed to look like more traditional monuments. People also questioned Maya Lin's background - that she was too young at the age of 21, that she was still inexperienced as only an architecture student, and that she was of Chinese American heritage. Her design was eventually modified by including the bronze 'Three Soldiers' sculpture, which overlooks the Wall. Ground was broken for Lin's design in 1982."