St. Paul – Objects of War: A Storytelling Circle

Please note: This event has been postponed, and we are working on rescheduling for a later date in 2025. This page will be updated with new information as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and our apologies for the inconvenience.

In honor of Veterans’ Voices Month, the Minnesota Humanities Center invites you to join us for an engaging evening focused on stories of community, consolation, and courage. For Objects of War, participants are asked to bring an item connected to an experience of war and conflict — which could be dog tags, a service member’s good luck charm, or a family heirloom — and share the story of this item during the evening. Moderated by trained facilitators, the conversation will help participants understand why we hold on to certain objects, and how these objects help us better understand the human impacts of war.

About the Facilitators
Jovita Hernandez is a recently retired educator with 32 years of experience. Throughout her career, she approached teaching through a lens of equity, nurturing curiosity, and emphasizing the connections built through the power of story. She introduced Story Circle practice not only in her own classroom but also across the district, leaving a lasting impact on students and colleagues alike. Today, she continues to champion this practice, sharing it in both educational and community spaces as a dedicated story circle practitioner.

Pang Foua Xiong is a creative social entrepreneur, cultural conservator, and mother. She is a first-generation Hmong woman, born to refugee parents who arrived in Minnesota in 1980, and raised in the Rondo/Frogtown neighborhood on the homelands of the Dakhóta people in Mni Sóta Makoce (Saint Paul, Minnesota). Her work spans more than 25 years in grassroots advocacy and co-designing accessibility and equity opportunities in healthcare, education, and economic systems. Her identity and journey as a Hmong woman and efforts in cultural and language revitalization of her endangered native language and heritage continue to shape her sense of place and purpose. She is the founder of Community & Co Lifestyle, LLC, a cultural and creative social enterprise that facilitates and nurtures collaborative connections, leadership, community engagement, and facilitating systems of care. As a social entrepreneur, bilingual Hmong interpreter, creative and social impact consultant, and humanities facilitator, Pang Foua co-designs and leads thoughtful community-centered initiatives, creative solutions, and engagement through the lens of whole wellbeing, place-knowing, and place-based learning practices.

This event is presented in partnership with the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum, an institution which seeks to strengthen public understanding of how armed conflicts and military institutions have shaped our state and national experience.

Registration

This event is free to attend, however registration is required. Dinner will be served at the event.

Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org

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