Dispatches of a San Francisco Liberal from Lawndale, NC
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Late May at the farm. Yee tills soil in preparation for planting. Mee follows behind him with a hoe, culling rocks and old roots. I can hear her whispering to the earth, asking for blessings upon the soon-to-be-planted seeds. When they have prepared the field, Yee summons my 91-year old father. Dad retrieves the seeds from his pocket that he brought from California and lights up, knowing that what he plants will feed his adoptive family in a few months’ time.
With seeds now planted, Yee tells Dad, “Let’s go fishing.”
He takes dad down a long sloping field. They come to the pond and waste no time. Dad is the kind of guy you want to bring with you when you fish. On his third cast, dad catches a huge bass. Yee takes a picture of Dad with his catch so that folks back home will believe them. He then releases the fish back into the pond.
I haven’t seen a grin like that on Dad’s face in a long, long time.
The sun is low. Air fresh with the smell of cut grass. Sky big, blue and endless. Just another moment at the Roots & Branches farm, where the land itself provides what a body needs.
Two years ago, Mee Moua and Yee Chang bought this farm. In so doing, they hooked a long-held dream of their ancestors — to claim a piece of land that they could call their own. “For hundreds of years, our people lived as refugees,” says Yee. “This farm, for us, is about coming home. “
In the 18th century, the Han people displaced the Hmong from Southern China, and Hmong folks fled to the mountains of Laos where Mee and Yee were born. At the end of the Vietnam/American War, Hmong people were persecuted because they had sympathized with Americans during that war. Mee’s father served as a medic and Yee’s father served as a district official in support of the U.S. forces. To escape imprisonment or worse, they and their families fled to Thailand, where they lived in refugee camps until they eventually came to the United States.
As children in their new land, Mee and Yee became interpreters and navigators for their parents and extended clan. While Yee continued interpreting, Mee went to law school and became the first Hmong elected official to a state legislature, serving three terms in the Minnesota State Senate.
But their journeys were never about prestige or a career. Instead, what they always wanted was to return to the land. They wanted to become farmers.
They searched for just the right place, and in a surprise to everyone, they found it in Cleveland County, North Carolina.
I admit, I had my doubts about the entire endeavor.
My friends invested their future in a county where less than 1% of the residents are Asian. A place where a Confederate monument stands in front of the county administration building. Where rough looking young men rode choppers festooned with Rebel Flags. Would they be welcome? Would they be safe?
Mee and Yee did not flinch at these concerns. They bought the farm — named it Roots & Branches — and set this bench as a statement of their intention to the world.
They made a point of meeting every neighbor and, within weeks, gathered more than one hundred relatives for a celebration. They conducted ceremonies, slaughtered a cow and celebrated into the night
And, in true form, Mee and Yee invited the neighbors they had met — these folks couldn’t have been more different — to join the festivities. Backed by Hmong whiskey (which they call Hmongshine), lots of laughter, full hearts and bellies, the neighbors fell in love with these newcomers. They still stop by regularly all the time.
Mee and Yee teach us how to establish and maintain a culture where everyone belongs. I could see their magic working in my father’s eyes. Here he came as a Navy veteran and business owner who recently suffered the loss of his dear wife of 68 years. In the care of these two remarkable people. I could see Dad’s face soften. He loves being at the farm. He eats more, sleeps harder and can’t stop smiling.
From the Five Elements perspective, Mee and Yee provide wonderful examples of the archetype of The Caregiver. Dedicated, nurturing and harmonious. All words used to describe Mother Earth and indeed, the compassionate touch a Caregiver offers. Purpose arises through service, and results in unique capacities to create safe and welcoming environments.
In this place, Dad finds sanctuary — a blessed home for his heart — where he can rest, heal, work, and contribute.
In return, Dad revels in being a Caregiver for his adopted family. Just yesterday, Yee sent me this photo. The seeds that Dad planted grew into beautiful vegetables that Yee harvested and ate for lunch.
In a time where we are quick to tear each other down, the Caregiver asks how can we provide a sacred container — a sanctuary — for us to rest, heal, work and contribute?
Mee Moua and Yee Chang have found a solution and have created a place where we all yearn to belong — a place to call home.
Stay tuned for my next report from Ogden, UT and Skokie, IL, where we will meet two visionary leaders who are committed to creating college campuses where everyone can thrive.
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Kevin John Fong is an internationally recognized cultural translator, facilitator, and speaker in transformative justice, leadership development, and building beloved communities. Kevin is the Founder of the Kahakulei Institute, whose mission is to weave people and possibilities to cultivate communities of belonging.
Kevin is a featured host on the CNBC News series, Changing the Narrative, and the author of, “The Five Elements: An East Asian Approach to Achieve Organizational Health, Professional Growth, and Personal Well-Being.”
Most importantly, Kevin is the child of Bob and Mary; the spouse of Greg; and the parent of Rafael, Santiago and Conner. Kevin lives in the traditional land of the Ramaytush Ohlone people, now known as San Francisco, CA.
