Blong Xiong is half an hour away from giving a speech to Fresno City College students. He walks in through the doors of the student lounge, nervously glancing around the room to see if his presence is recognizable by those expecting him. A crowd of administrators greets him; he smiles candidly, exuding a demeanor that transcends an aura of humbleness, curiosity and comfort.

It is no surprise that Xiong’s win in the 2006 Fresno City Council election made him one of the most notable Asian American figures in the state of California and the entire country, but more importantly, in Fresno, California.

Xiong became the first Hmong-American to be elected to a city council seat, holding the highest position: president. To date, there are only three Hmong-Americans that hold political positions in the country.

With two years of presidency under his belt, he expects the next two years to be just as enterprising. Xiong has made history: his footsteps trace a successful journey to America.

He is a refugee from Thailand who came to settle in America for “survival” at the tender age of five. He landed in the Midwest, where he lived for the majority of his life and where he was college educated, earning a degree in Business Administration.

He left the Midwest in 1991 and moved to California, where he prefers to remain. He earned a masters degree in Business Administration and began working as the associate director of the Fresno Center for New Americans: a non-profit organization that integrates immigrants, refugees, or “new Americans” into American society by assisting them with housing, education, and employment.

“We have all the money in the world here in America, and yet, we can’t provide any services to those who need it, and I felt that this needed to change,” Blong said.

He said what touched him the most was being able to see the impact he was making for those he worked. “When you work for a non-profit, there is no such thing as responsibility. You do whatever you can to provide for the constituents in your community,” he said.

His political career emerged by mere coincidence, but was not a spontaneous decision. He admits that being a political figure is both demanding and difficult; not a 9 to 5 job. It requires enormous time, effort and daily commitment, at all times, 24/7. Xiong has taken his political achievement in strides, using an approach that he considers to be the most effective and valuable as a direct result of his life experiences. “There is a difference between talking about a community and actually serving it, living it, and being it,” he said. Xiong serves one of the most diverse districts in California with approximately 70,000 residents and a relatively small Hmong community.

Much of Blong’s upbringing took place in diverse communities. During his youth, he lived in neighborhoods where his family was the only Hmong in town. He lived in the ghettos. His family was on welfare. Years later, denuded him to a predominantly African American community where he was able to identify with the peoples struggles and constant battles being waged against poverty.

His life in “all white” communities exposed the naivete he once held towards the existence of racism in America and the reality of its detrimental impact on society. With Latinos, he was able to relate in terms of socio-economic status and class. Both immigrants and farm laborers, the only thing that separated the two cultures were language and food.

It was this background that provided a foundation for Xiong’s strong family values and hard-work ethic, of which he describes being “to a fault”.

This value system is being integrated into his political endeavors. “Because I have always been a community activist and advocate, it hasn’t been difficult to address issues that are important to the community,” Xiong said. “I’ve addressed issues in rising utility rates, infrastructure, traffic jams and public safety.”

Most importantly, Xiong tries not to worry about people’s expectations of his work. “I try to make the best decisions I can make and do not make promises that I can’t keep. I look at all the issues that the city of Fresno is facing.” Xiong describes his role as a political figure to be important. “I want people to understand that the role and the real message behind the position that I hold is public service. It is important for the community to understand, that in essence, I am a public servant.”

Thus far, Xiong has tackled issues in the pubic with an approach he coins “community grassroots politics” which basically aims at serving a diverse community: one of color and poverty. Although humbled to be a part of FCC’s Asian American month, he states that Asian-Americans are as diverse as the population and he is only representative of a piece of that population. “I think the key is to integrate the diversity present, within the Asian American community- its what I try and do,” Xiong said.

Xiong recognizes the importance of having the right mindset in order to run for a political office. “You have to have strong, hard core values because you have to ask yourself at what cost are you willing to negotiate your values in order to win? [For office].

The issues must fit the individual running for office. He encourages students to become engaged and involved in their communities whether civically or politically. “I think voting is the American thing to do, especially for refugees or immigrants: it should be even more important to them to vote because of the lack of opportunity to do so back home. To engage is key.”

Xiong leaves FCC students a clear message on politics and serving a diverse community: “What is American to me- is that this country allows us to give back. What is America? The ability for us to give back the best of our culture, the best of our ethnicity, the best of what we do and that is why this country is the best country in the world, hands down.”