WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — A vintage American flag was raised over Wausau City Hall on Monday to honor Hmong Heritage Month in Wisconsin and the city.
The Laos to America museum in Wausau has loaned the Bennington Flag to the city, a lesser-known design that has had a couple of moments of popularity through the years.
Bennington Flag unveiled at Wausau City Hall to honor Hmong Heritage Month. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
Director of the Hmong American Center and Marathon County Supervisor Yee Leng Xiong says one of those phases came during the bicentennial celebration in 1976, the same year that the first Hmong families settled in Marathon County. “That has a specific meaning to our community- specifically here in Wausau. It was the year the Hmong community arrived here,” said Xiong.
The flag features a “76” in the blue field and has white stripes on the top and bottom. The blue field is also filled with seven-pointed stars, instead of the traditional five-pointed variety, and the blue field is also larger than the current version of the stars and stripes.
Xiong says the flag also shows how far the Hmong community has come in Wausau and Central Wisconsin. “It’s a reminder that we came here when America was celebrating its 200-year anniversary. We came here at the beginning of a century, and will without a doubt be here for the next 100 years.
He acknowledged the early struggles and incidents of racism that the first Hmong settlers faced in Wausau and Central Wisconsin as well. Some tried to paint the Hmong as the enemy in the Vietnam War, which wasn’t true. But Xiong says that the first families persevered and in the 40+ years since first settling, the Hmong are now a thriving part of Marathon County.
“We have definitely seen a lot of Hmong leaders and significant individuals that have grown from this area and call this area home. It’s a place where Hmong community members and leaders can bloom and become successful.
“It’s our home just as much as anybody elses,” added Xiong.
After a brief presentation on the history of the Bennington Flag, it was raised on the flag post outside City Hall. Mayor Katie Rosenberg then read a proclamation declaring April as Hmong Heritage Month.
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