Two Eau Claire nonprofits win Wisconsin Humanities grants

Two Eau Claire nonprofits were awarded major grants by Wisconsin Humanities.

Discovering Hmong Roots Through Traditional Clothing: Reminiscing the Diaspora from Laos to the United States
$10,000 to Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association Inc.

A Major Grant will support an exhibit that spurs conversations between Hmong youth and elders, strengthens intergenerational connections, and provides opportunities for Hmong individuals to identify their roots. Through traditional clothing displays and descriptions of corresponding dialects and traditions associated with the article of clothing, participants will be encouraged to identify the clothing worn by their families and to consult with parents and elders for insight. With a map of Laos, attendees will be invited to mark their region and facilitate data regarding the geographical distribution of Hmong individuals in the Chippewa Valley. With the return of the Eau Claire Hmong New Year celebration after a pandemic-induced four-year hiatus, the project and exhibit provides a cultural educational opportunity for non-Hmong visitors to the long-awaited Hmong New Year celebration.  

and

One Book, One Community: A Council of Dolls
$10,000 to Friends of The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library

A Major Grant supports the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library’s community-wide reading initiative with Mona Susan Power’s book, A Council of Dolls. In addition to an author visit, programming for all ages will be presented by tribal leaders, culture bearers, Native storytellers, and chefs on the topics of Indian boarding schools, oral history, foraging, and Native American rights. The range of programming will reach both Native American audiences and non-Indigenous community members and create space for cultural exploration and education on historical and current-day experiences of Native American peoples in the Chippewa Valley. 

Other grants were awarded throughout Wisconsin and can be seen at https://wisconsinhumanities.org/wh-awards-59993-to-six-nonprofits