An illustration of a queer Hmong and Korean abolitionist elder in Moob Leeg (green Hmong) clothing. She wears glasses and has tattoos on her wrinkled skin. She is sewing a Hmong story cloth, which spills from her hands like a river. In the story cloth, we see figures of all skin tones, genders, sexualities, and religious beliefs protesting police brutality; freeing folks who are incarcerated; tending to forests and community gardens; and welcoming loved ones home. The elder sits between the silhouette of indigo colored mountains, and stars splash against the dreamy blue and purple sky.

Using speculative fiction, Abolitionist Elder (2020) is a futuristic self-portrait depicting the creation of a new society: one in which prisons, ICE, police, and other vestiges of colonization, militarization, and enslavement no longer exist. This piece was created after the police murder of Mr. George Floyd on May 25, 2020 and the burning of the 3rd precinct in Minneapolis on May 28, 2020. Told through the legacy of Hmong (Hmoob/Moob) story cloths, my elder self uses needle and thread to record acts of transformative rage and community care that may lead us to abolitionist futures.

Abolitionist Elder has been adapted and published with the Minneapolis Institute of Art, AAPI Civic Engagement Fund, the University of Minnesota’s Women Center, and the Abolition Journal (forthcoming, Spring 2022).

Video activity based on Abolitionist Elder. Produced for Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Family Day (May 2021).

Illustrated graphic created for AAPI Civic Engagement Fund (2020).

An illustration of a queer Hmong and Korean abolitionist elder in Moob Leeg (green Hmong) clothing. Lime green text on the blue and indigo background reads, "Voting together is how we care for one another. #VoteTogether." The elder wears glasses and has tattoos on her wrinkled skin. She is sewing a Hmong story cloth, which spills from her hands like a river. In the story cloth, we see figures of all skin tones, genders, sexualities, and religious beliefs protesting police brutality; freeing folks who are incarcerated; tending to forests and community gardens; and welcoming loved ones home. The elder sits between the silhouette of indigo colored mountains, , and there is a deep blue sky.