Cottage Grove, MN — May Lee Xiong is reimagining education to support Black, Indigenous and people of color to thrive in schools that celebrate their diverse identities. She grew up in Minnesota feeling disconnected from her own Hmong culture. After hearing the stories of her resilient immigrant parents, she began to truly embrace her heritage. As an educator leading Hmong language revitalization efforts, she helped co-create the Hmong Studies and Hmong Dual Language programs at Phalen Elementary School in Saint Paul. With her Bush Fellowship, she will seek ways to deepen her understanding of language revitalization and build her skills to advocate for transformative changes in public education.
