The United States is home to more than two million refugees since 1975, with over half arriving as children. Refugees are semi-voluntary immigrants fleeing persecution in their home countries and seeking a country willing to resettle them. They may have experienced war, separation from or loss of family, and loss of home and basic needs. One…

Urges social studies educators to explore textile art and interviews with textile artists as a tool for fostering understanding and empathy for Hmong Americans. Summarizes Hmong history and culture as they lived traditionally in Laos, as refugees in Thailand, and as immigrants in the United States suggesting examples of textile art. (CMK)

Argues that textile arts, often created by women, provide a valuable, but frequently overlooked, resource for learning about a culture. Describes an effort to learn about Hmong culture and history through a study of textile arts and to teach preservice teachers in a social studies methods course about this culture. (DSK)