That's Cool: Kaysone Syonesa Day In Minnesota

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Apparently this happened a couple months ago while I was sleeping.

MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 28, 2018) — The office of the Mayor of the city of Minneapolis recently presented a proclamation recognizing October 10, 2018 as Kaysone Syonesa Day in recognition of the 40th birthday of the Lao Minnesotan artist who has long-standing roots in North Minneapolis since her family resettled in the United States after the Laotian Civil War, including the 5th Ward.

The request was made by the members of the Southeast Asian Literature Interdisciplinary Theater Arts Center, (SEALIT) which recently received funding from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council to convene the 20-year retrospective exhibition and workshop series Laomagination in North Minneapolis. Community members cited Syonesa as “a positive mentor and friend of students and families of diverse backgrounds and helped them pursue their dreams; and someone who “has encouraged good character, lifelong pursuit of art, education and civic engagement through personal and professional example...Minnesota has the third largest Lao refugee population in the US, with an estimated 13,000 community members in the state, many in Minneapolis and the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area.”

Sweet.

http://aapress.com/arts/city-of-minneapolis-recognizes-lao-minnesotan-artist-kaysone-syonesa/