May yer Thao’s parents didn’t come to this country seeking democracy or a better life. They came here as refugees escaping persecution. May yer (pronounced mine-za) was the first in her family to be born in the United States and, growing up, discovered the ideas of democracy, the notion of rights and freedoms. She has dedicated her life to issues of equity and inclusion for underserved communities, people of color and new Americans, recently as executive director of the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber and, since fall, as assistant deputy director of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, or WHEDA. She knows firsthand how grounding and essential stable, affordable housing is. When she was young, she and her family lived in a small shack on a large farm in Merced, California, where some in the family worked the fields. Later, her family joined members of her father’s family in the Twin Cities, where they lived in public housing. She credits St. Paul’s affordable housing program with helping her family rent and eventually buy a well-maintained home for the family, which included nine children. May yer attended the University of Minnesota and did a stint in the Peace Corps in Thailand. She worked at the Medical College of Wisconsin administering grants for community medical education, and also worked as a medical/legal interpreter. Lately, she’s been working with DNC planners to ensure Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are included in the preparations. Speaking about democracy in Hmong, which May yer does here, was a challenge but also offered an opportunity to explore the spirit of democracy in a way that the English language doesn’t afford, at least in the same way.