Meet ThaoMee Xiong

As I embark on a new chapter as Executive and Network Director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders, I can’t help but think of all the moments that got me here. No one believed a refugee girl like me could go to an Ivy league school. Fewer believed that someone like me could have a successful career in government and advocacy. But I was determined to chart my own course and courageously follow my ambitions.

My family came to the U.S. in the 1980’s, a period of heightened anti-Asian violence. My mom worked at a manufacturing company and received daily death threats. My father was mocked at work by school-age students for his heavy accent. My sister and I were told to “go back home.” There was no CAAL to advocate for us, no network to turn to, no leaders who looked like us.

Looking back, those hard moments of cultural and social adversity I faced as a young girl actually fueled me to become an agent of change. I never want another child or family to feel the way we did. That’s why I’m committed to deepening CAAL’s impact, engaging more leaders, and amplifying community voices to ensure Asian Minnesotans are visible.

Until CAAL, there was no social justice institution dedicated to advancing social justice issues on behalf of Asian Americans in Minnesota and therefore there was no institutional knowledge and infrastructure to amplify the experiences of Asian Minnesotans. CAAL provides the Asian American community a vehicle to build a social justice movement to ensure long-term change and transformation.

Today, CAAL’s network is 5,000+ strong. I’m proud of my friend Bo Thao-Urabe, who founded CAAL and built a strong foundation for me and the incredible staff to create systems change through our powerful network of CAAL leaders. These are the leaders I needed when I was a little girl and I’m beyond grateful to serve with them today