Ka Vang
Contributing Columnist
DiversityKa Vang is a writer, playwright and children’s book author. She is the vice president of equity, inclusion, diversity and access for Meet Minneapolis, the tourism, convention and visitors’ bureau for the city of Minneapolis. She has also worked in higher education, as a journalist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and as a senior leader for Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media. A Hmong American, she was born on a CIA military base in Laos at the end of the Vietnam War and immigrated to the U.S. in 1980. She grew up in the Frogtown neighborhood in St. Paul and now lives in Prescott, Wis. She can be reached at kvangmpr@gmail.com or www.linkedin.com/in/ka-vang-edia-leader/.
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Latest from Ka Vang
Vang: I was born the year my homeland exploded
This year, Hmong Americans are marking the 50th anniversary since they first started arriving in the U.S. — and in Minnesota — as refugees. Here is my story.
May 31, 2025
Vang: A love letter to the disappearing St. Paul skyways
The news that St. Paul had shut down parts of downtown’s skyway system hit me like a sad song on repeat. I can trace my life through those tunnels of glass and steel.
May 4, 2025
Vang: Stars, stripes and side-eye abroad
Given how much of the world hates us now, Americans are wondering how we’ll be received when traveling to other countries.
April 23, 2025
Vang: Is Trumpism losing its hold on my red Wisconsin town, and others like it?
The election this week of a Democratic-backed judge to the Wisconsin Supreme Court despite the efforts of Elon Musk may be a sign the tide is beginning to turn.
April 4, 2025
Vang: Why Minnesota should lead in banning AI nudification apps
A proposed bill in the Minnesota Senate would prohibit technology companies from making these images in the first place.
April 2, 2025
Vang: Immigration is a profound journey. A Trump ‘Gold Card’ visa would make it transactional.
Ask yourself which newcomers are truly invested in the experience.
March 19, 2025
Vang: How much screen time is OK for our children?
The official recommendations are murky; I read all about them on my phone.
February 28, 2025
Vang: What ‘justice’ apparently means in America these days
As a DEI officer myself, I’m not as worried about my job as I am about my safety, sanity and spirit.
February 19, 2025
Vang: Why Minnesota should lead in banning AI nudification apps
A proposed bill in the Minnesota Senate would prohibit technology companies from making these images in the first place.
April 2, 2025
Vang: Immigration is a profound journey. A Trump ‘Gold Card’ visa would make it transactional.
Ask yourself which newcomers are truly invested in the experience.
March 19, 2025
Vang: How much screen time is OK for our children?
The official recommendations are murky; I read all about them on my phone.
February 28, 2025
Vang: What ‘justice’ apparently means in America these days
As a DEI officer myself, I’m not as worried about my job as I am about my safety, sanity and spirit.
February 19, 2025