We have learned about your response to the desecration of the graves of Hmong refugees at the Wat Tham Krabok Bhuddist monastery by the Thai government. We understand the trauma this has caused to the relatives of the dead, since they believe that the body has spiritual continuity after death and the spirits of the dead influence the living. And we know that since graduating from college last spring you have worked hundreds of hours without pay gathering and summarizing testimony from families in Minnesota affected by the exhumations to be presented tomorrow to the UN Special Rapporteur investigating this matter.
This is just the kind of work the Sullivan Ballou Fund seeks to recognize and affirm. Instead of furthering your own career or education, you have followed your heart and chosen to address the pain and injustice you see. Working with these Hmong families in Minnesota has required particularly heart-felt work. Since the point of their testimony is to show the emotional suffering caused by the Thai government, your interviews required extreme care and sensitivity. This necessitated long hours of training, studying the meaning of Hmong burial rites, and even learning the Hmong words and phrases necessary to express the cultural and spiritual meaning of the rituals.
It has been inspiring to learn of your work, and we wish you every success in the upcoming hearings.
Congratulations!
Elissa and Bruce Peterson, Founding Members