2026 Heritage Month
Each year, our Heritage Month is an occasion to celebrate, spotlight, and educate others about the diversity and history of our communities. However, this year has been unique and, for many Asian Pacific Minnesotans, challenging. For this reason, we spoke with several members of our community who were directly affected by Operation Metro Surge. Throughout the month, we will be sharing these personal stories as well as interesting vignettes and fun facts from across our communities.
Week 1
Kaziah's story
Kaziah and her family came from Burma, where ethnic clashes have long plagued the country. Known as the Karen (Kah-REN) people, or K’Nyaw, they are an ethnic minority who began being resettled as refugees in the United States in the mid-2000s. Under Operation PARRIS, Karen refugees who arrived in the United States during the Biden administration and whose legal status had not yet been adjusted to Permanent Legal Status were detained, even without criminal records.
Kaziah serves as co-director at the Urban Village, a Saint Paul nonprofit serving K’Nyaw/Karen and Karenni youth. She was also one of the co-founders of the K’Nyaw Rapid Response team during Operation Metro Surge and Operation PARRIS.
Fun fact: Filipino Service during WWII
Did you know that more than 250,000 Filipinos fought alongside American forces against Japanese occupation during World War II? At that time, the Philippines were considered a commonwealth of the United States. More than one million Filipinos died in the war.
In 1953, 12 University of Minnesota students came together to form the Fil-Minnesotan Association, a platform for celebrating and strengthening Filipino connections and culture in the early days after the war. After the Immigration Act of 1965, strict quotas on immigration from the Philippines were eased, allowing waves of professionals to settle in Minnesota. Today, Filipinos are the sixth-largest API community in Minnesota, with a population of over 22,000. Other Filipino-led organizations in the state include the Cultural Society of Filipino Americans, Philippine Nurses Association of Minnesota, Philippine Minnesotan Medical Association, Minnesotan Seniors Association, and Filipino American Women’s Network.