I can sum up my support for Peng Her with one word — diversity.
The Northside is Madison’s most distinct and attractive area because of two features: its environment and its multicultural populations. The health of both requires a mix of lives, a nurturing base, food and air, cooperation, opportunity, and space to grow as individuals and as a community.
If this sounds airy-fairy, think of the Northside before the plow. The prairies and wetlands and woods that humans found here had thrived for eons because of ecological diversity. What kept them healthy, strong and sustainable are the same elements that build strong neighborhoods.
Peng Her embodies this promise. A war refugee, he found in the fertile space of Wisconsin the comfort of his Hmong family and the courage to strike out as an American entrepreneur. He has spent his adult life bridging divergent cultures — whether serving a plate of homemade food, teaching the value of fresh fish and gardens, teaching his children to hunt and fish, explaining in multiple languages ancient ethnic ways, or searching Madison’s most challenged corners for ways to occupy and employ our children.
Peng and I do not look alike — that’s the first thing you notice when he knocks on your door. But from the moment he started talking I saw a man whose values did not come from reading a book, but, rather, from overcoming adversity, listening, engaging and embracing both our differences and our shared humanity.
Jim Carrier
Northside Madison is lucky to have Peng Her as a candidate for Madison’s Common Council. I’ve known Peng and his beautiful family for two decades. Over that time, he has shown his commitment to Madison in general and the Northside specifically in many roles: as a small-business owner, an educator, a community organizer and a cultural worker.
Peng’s personal journey is one of fortitude and resilience, being a young child in a Laotian refugee camp, moving to a completely foreign place (the USA), learning a new language and culture, and eventually thriving in his new home. While becoming a respected American, Peng remained grounded in Hmong traditions. This shows in his deep respect for elders, his devotion to family, and his commitment to help advance the status of all Hmong in Wisconsin.
Yet he is not focused on working on behalf of only one group. Peng cares about the common good and, because of his unique cultural background, is able to bridge cultural differences while working on behalf of all. This is evidenced by his recent work with the Madison Urban League and the Center for Resilient Cities Community Center.
I also appreciate Peng’s commitment to the arts. He knows that art of all types — visual, music, dance, theater and story — expresses key ideas about who we are as humans. Peng has helped both traditional and contemporary art forms thrive in communities.
Peng Her is a dedicated and hard-working public servant who will do his best on behalf of the entire community.
Anne Pryor
As a public servant for nearly four decades in my role as the Dane County Aging and Disabilities Services Manager, I gave constantly of myself for the betterment of the citizens of Dane County, Madison and my home — the Northside. I write this letter to you today, neighbors, because I believe the outcome of the April 7 election for city council will have a profound impact on our future. I hope you’ll join me in supporting Peng Her.
Peng, too, has been a longtime public servant. As a former member of the Dane County Human Services Board, former board member at Troy Gardens and Community GroundWorks, and former member of the Northside Planning Council, Peng knows the Northside in and out. He has been president of the Cherokee Park Neighborhood Association. His three children attend Gompers and Blackhawk. Peng can tell our story.
Peng is also a member of Chief Koval’s Community Engagement team, promoting safety in our neighborhoods and focusing on the continued expansion of Madison’s strong tradition of community policing. Combined with his experience building strong neighborhoods, Peng is the candidate we need to sustain a safe and engaged Northside.
The city and the county recognized his experience and service this year with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, a great honor and a signal of his level of devotion to our community. So please join me April 7 in voting for Peng Her for City Council. He’s the leader we need to tell our stories, the story of the Northside.
Theresa Sanders