The decision to name Madison’s newest school after Gen. Vang Pao is creating a divide in Madison.
Opponents said that they plan to bring their concerns to the school board on Monday.
For people in the Hmong community, Gen. Vang Pao is a leader comparable to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They said that Pao led masses of Hmong refugees to the U.S., WISC-TV reported.
But opponents said that they still hope to convince the school board to change its mind and not honor a man that some say has a questionable past.
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Dive into said
It is unfortunate that our District and City are facing this issue. It is unbelievable that the School Board would have chosen this name having known what information has come out about the General. Many in the Hmong community were honored and now are upset that the name may be changed. This isn’t about prejudice, it’s about the character of the person. Whether all of the information is true or not, the school’s name would forever have negative connotations. I’m afraid that this issue has actually done harm to the Hmong community. General Vang Pao obviously means a lot to the Hmongs. He apparently has done some good things, but there are too many alleged crimes and other misdeeds to make him deserving onf this honor.
Vang Pao is a great Man for the Hmong peoples. He means alot to our Hmong peoples. Everything he did is good for us. He only trying to help the Hmong peoples and he is very innocent 100%.
Vang Pao was minding his own business before the school board wanted to honor him. Vang Pao certainly didn’t ask for such a great honor. It is ashame that opponents of naming the school Vang Pao have to go to such great lengths to make sure it is renamed even before the allegations against Vang Pao surfaced. I think Vang Pao would be very honored if the school was named after him, afterall he is a hero in his own right, even though some people may not see it that way. However, with all of this bickering and fighting about the naming of this school, I believe in my own heart, even though I don’t personally know Vang Pao, but from what I know about Vang Pao, he would rest much easier if it was changed to make peace with those who are so against it as Vang Pao stands for peace. I’d like to thank the school board for their kind offer even if it were just an offer. Peace to all!