Kabzuag Vaj
Kabzuag Vaj is a Hmong refugee who was born in Laos and raised in Madison, WI. She is the founder and co-executive director of Freedom Inc and the executive director of Freedom Action Now, Inc. She has dedicated the majority of her life to ending gender-based violence. Her advocacy started when she was 16 years old, assisting and housing at-risk teens, and challenging abusive gender norms within her community. She is a strong believer that those who are most deeply impacted must be at the forefront of the movement and must have opportunities and resources to advocate for themselves and tell their own stories. In the past 20 years, Vaj has spent her life working to build collective power and social change within Southeast Asian and Black communities. She was recognized as a Champion of Change at the White House during Domestic Violence Awareness month in 2011, and was part of NOVO’s Move to End Violence 4th leadership cohort. In 2020 she was named one of "20 Women of Color in Politics to Watch in 2020" by She the People. She is a co-founder of Building Our Future, a global feminist Hmong movement that works to change traditional practices, behaviors, and beliefs that contribute to gender-based violence within Hmong communities. Kabzuag is also a co-owner/founder of Red Green Rivers, a social enterprise that works with women and girl artisans from the Mekong Region in Southeast Asia. Kabzuag is a daughter, mother, artist, feminist and organizer. Her first love is the movement.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 | 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM (CDT)
Gender and Racial Justice in the Age of COVID, BLM, and Anti-Asian Hate: A Hmong Feminist Perspective
Kabzuag Vaj will share her journey from refugee to social justice movement leader and the lessons learned along the way. She will discuss current issues in the Southeast Asian American communities, specifically the Hmong community, and how they have positioned themselves in the fight for gender and racial equity while aligning with other liberation movements, especially during this historical Black Lives Matter movement. In 2020 over 3600 Anti-Asian hate incidents were reported, of that which 2/3 were from Asian women. Although anti-Asian hate isn't new in this country, the dehumanization and disregard of Asian Americans and immigrants have only worsened during the pandemic. From the Hmong and White hunting conflicts in Northern Wisconsin to the deportation of Southeast Asian refugees to the mass shooting in Atlanta and femicide of Hmong women, Vaj will share strategies and lessons learned to help conference attendees better understand and support her community. Vaj's transformation from refugee to feminist movement leader in the past 20 years is a journey worth learning.
