Hmong Today

Hmong Today publishes a biweekly print newspaper reporting on Hmong American and global Hmong news stories, especially about Saint Paul, Minnesota, the paper's headquarters and the largest concentration of Hmong in the United States. Founder Wameng Moua manages most aspects of the paper.{{cite journal | last=Nelson | first=Madison Barnes | title=Book Review: Lopez, Lori Kido. Micro Media Industries: Hmong American Media Innovation in the Diaspora (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2021) | journal=Media Industries | volume=10 | issue=1 | date=July 24, 2023 | issn=2373-9037 | doi=10.3998/mij.3772 | doi-access=free}} Because Hmong typically only read English, articles are usually in English, and rarely in Hmong.

Along with Hmong Times, Hmong Today has been called one of the Hmong community's "most enduring publications".{{cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Gary Yia |date=2008 |title=Nostalgia and Cultural Re-creation: The Case of the Hmong Diaspora |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40860891 |journal=Crossroads: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |volume=19 |number=2 |jstor=40860891 |access-date=December 21, 2024 |pages=139}}

The publisher of the newspaper is Sang Moua{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Joey |date=2020-12-03 |title=Protecting the living while serving the dead, Hmong funerals adapt to COVID-19 times. |url=http://sahanjournal.com/culture-community/covid-19-minnesota-hmong-funeral-safety-guidelines/ |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Sahan Journal |language=en-US}} and the president of the company is Sy Vang.{{cite web|title=Hmong Today LLC|url=http://www.manta.com/c/mmn4xw8/hmong-today-llc|publisher=manta}} Wameng Moua and Sang Mouacheupao founded Hmong Today in 2003 and published the first issue January 1, 2004. The website was developed and administered by Hmongmedia.{{cite news |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/463923771 |title=Entrepreneur column |last=Jean |first=Sheryl |date=Jul 25, 2004 |work=Pioneer Press / Knight Ridder Tribune Business News |publisher=Tribune Content Agency LLC |location=Washington |access-date=December 21, 2024 |quote= |id={{ProQuest|463923771}}}}

Sang Mouacheupao and Wameng Moua co-founded Hmong Today in 2003. Owners of Hmong Times Dick and Steve Wetzler offered to sell their half-share in Hmong Times to Moua in 2003 for {{USD|200,000}}, which Moua declined. A white businessman had implied that Hmong couldn't run a paper without the aid of white people, so Moua and Mouacheupao started the paper on their own.{{cite news |last=Magagnini |first=Stephen |date=Sep 12, 2004 |title=Profile: Wameng Moua 'Can't' wasn't in his vocabulary |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/246433961/F650D9ABFCFF4DBBPQ/14?accountid=196403&sourcetype=Newspapers |work=The Sacramento Bee |location=Sacramento, California |publisher=The McClatchy Company |access-date=February 24, 2025 |issn=08905738 |id={{ProQuest|08905738}}}}

The front-page story of the first volume and edition was about Hmong in Laos facing ongoing persecution after the Laotian Civil War. Entitled "Betrayal, Lost Hope, And the Forgotten Tribe" and written by Wameng Moua, it was published December 31, 2003. Hmong scholar Her Vang reports: "Moua had dedicated many volumes and editions of

Hmong Today to the plight of the Hmong in Laos."{{cite thesis | last=Vang | first=Her | title=Dreaming of home, dreaming of land: displacements and Hmong transnational politics, 1975-2010 | publisher=University of Minnesota | degree=Doctor of Philosophy | via=University Digital Conservancy | date=July 2010 | url=https://conservancy.umn.edu/items/350f5093-8366-4034-baed-d748557efca1 | access-date=February 26, 2025 |hdl=11299/95816}}

Around 2001 Kathy Mouacheupao joined the paper writing for the arts and entertainment section. Kathy is co-founder Wameng Moua's sister and at the time had recently become staff at Center for Hmong Arts and Talent.{{cite web | last=Regan | first=Sheila | title=MN VOICES - Kathy Mouacheupao | website=Twin Cities Daily Planet | date=August 5, 2011 | url=https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/minnesota-voices-kathy-mouacheupao/ | access-date=February 26, 2025}}

Copies of Hmong Today with the headline about the 2007 murder of Cha Vang were distributed at his funeral.{{cite news |last=Aamot |first=Gregg |date=Jan 21, 2007 |title=GRIEVING FOR SLAIN HUNTER; FAMILY AND HMONG COMMUNITY SEEKING ANSWERS IN MAN'S KILLING |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/391326611/abstract/F650D9ABFCFF4DBBPQ/35?accountid=196403&sourcetype=Newspapers |work=Wisconsin State Journal |location=Saint Paul, Minnesota |publisher=Madison Newspapers, Inc. |access-date=February 24, 2025 |issn=0749405X |id={{ProQuest|391326611}} |page=D1}}

At the Ethnic and Community Media Awards in 2008, Wameng Moua received honors for stories in two categories."{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090325025312/http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=2d396e99f74e9f3b7500319ce0b599a2 Twin Cities Honor Hyperlocal Journalism]}}." New America Media. December 7, 2008. Retrieved on March 18, 2012.

• Sang Moua, publisher
• Sy Vang, president
• Sang Mouacheupao, founder{{cite news |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/212206046 |title=The Business Journal MINORITY BUSINESS: Hmong Today, Reporting with an edge |last=Groeneveld |first=Benno |date=Jun 18, 2004 |work=Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal |publisher=American City Business Journals |access-date= |volume=22 |issue=1 |page=S20 |quote= |issn=1540-1847 |id={{ProQuest|212206046}}}}

• Kathy Mouacheupao{{cite web | author=Marya Morstad | title=Nurturing Hmong artists | website=Twin Cities Daily Planet | date=June 26, 2006 | url=https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/nurturing-hmong-artists/ | access-date=February 24, 2025}}
• Wameng Moua

Hmong Today is archived in multiple formats at several archives.

In 2022, print archives of Hmong Today were included in an expansion of the Hmong Cultural Center Museum in Saint Paul, Minnesota.{{Cite web |last=Willms |first=Jan |title=Hmong Cultural Center Museum expands: Museum aims to be a good starting point for learning about Hmong language, history and music |url=https://www.monitorsaintpaul.com/stories/hmong-cultural-center-museum-expands,4648 |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=Midway Como Frogtown Monitor |date=11 January 2022 |language=en}}

Online archives of hmongtoday.com ({{OCLC|647963146}}) are available at the Minnesota Historical Society, Wisconsin Historical Society, and University of California, Irvine.{{cite web |title=Hmong today. |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/647963146?oclcNum=647963146 |website=WorldCat |publisher=OCLC |access-date=February 23, 2025}} The Hmong Today website went offline in 2012.

Select stories were republished via local outlets such as Twin Cities Daily Planet.* {{cite web | title=Twin Cities Daily Planet » Search Results » “hmong today” | website=Twin Cities Daily Planet | url=https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/?s=%22hmong+today%22&search+submit=Go | access-date=February 26, 2025}}

{{Portal|Journalism|United States}}

• Hmong Times
• History of the Hmong in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
• List of newspapers in Minnesota

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140829081858/http://www.hmongtoday.com/ Hmong Today] (archive of offline website)
• [https://wayback.archive-it.org/1635/*/http://www.hmongtoday.com hmongtoday.com archive by Minnesota Newspapers Online, archived by Minnesota Historical Society]
• [https://www.hmonglibrary.org/newspaper-article-collections.html Hmong Cultural Center Museum and Library Newspaper Article Collections]
• [https://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/9910111624202121 Hmong today: the nation's Hmong newspaper, XOV-XWM HMOOB : newspaper articles index, Dec 2003 - April 2007] at University of Wisconsin–Madison Library

{{Hmong topics in Minnesota}}

{{Minnesota Newspapers}}

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Category:Hmong-American culture in Minneapolis–Saint Paul

Category:National newspapers published in the United States

Category:Newspapers published in Minnesota

Category:Hmong American history in Minnesota

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