St. Paul’s mayor will come to McFarland later this week for a community reception celebrating her accomplishments.
Mayor Kaohly Her was born in Laos and came to the United States as a refugee. She grew up in Appleton and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison before she moved to Minnesota, where she built a legacy in finance, nonprofit leadership and politics. Mayor Her is the first female and Hmong mayor of St. Paul — and the second Hmong mayor in the United States.
“We wanted to celebrate her milestones with her and bring her back to her roots, because part of her success is our success. We take great pride in Wisconsinites’ work,” said Mai Zong Vue, a prominent Hmong-American advocate, author and community leader. “Her upbringing and values instilled in her from Wisconsin are a part of her success.
Vue grew up with Mayor Her in Appleton. The success of Mayor Her, and many other Hmong, is significant in the diaspora as she finds herself in paths new for the community, Vue said.
(Photo by Omar Waheed)
Hmong-Americans holding political office are relatively new. By 2017, only 32 Hmong-Americans were elected to city councils, school boards and state legislatures across the U.S.
The first-ever Hmong mayor in the U.S. was elected in Oakland in 2022 with Sheng Tao. Mayor Her is the second ever, four years later, where she took office this past January after serving in Minnesota’s House of Representatives 64A District between 2019-2025.
With this year marking the 50th year of the Hmong diaspora, Vue finds it more important than ever to highlight people like Mayor Her.
“I think her story is very inspirational to our community, and we want to make sure that our young people in our community can meet her and talk to her and be inspired,” Vue said.
Vue points to the current political climate. She feels that inspiring the community and the next generation of leaders is needed.
“Having the opportunity to meet her, learn from her and be inspired by her on what she does means others can be inspired,” Vue said. “I can’t speak enough about what we need to do to improve that environment and to inspire more young people to be civically engaged in the community.”
The reception for Mayor Her will be held Friday, March 20, 5-7 p.m. at The Mekong Banquet Hall, 5100 Erling Ave., McFarland. It is free to attend; registration is required.
