72nd Commemoration of Karen Martyrs’ Day

We invite you to join us and the community the first weekend in August to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of Karen Martyrs’ Day.

Location

HealthEast Sports Center Red Fields
(near East Ridge High School)
4200 Pioneer Dr
Woodbury, MN 55129

Daily parking fee is $10

Schedule

Dates: Saturday, August 6th & Sunday, August 7th, 2022
Time: 8:00 am – 8:00 pm

The main ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 6th from 8:00 am to 9:00 am.
For the remainder of the event, attendees can visit KCM food vendors, participate in games, and observe sport tournaments. Tournaments include men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s volleyball, and men’s cane ball.

For more information please contact: Ku Hser 651-332-9992; Jesse 651-987-3203; Thara Nay Htoo 651-529-5066; Thara Eh Tah Ku: 651-460-0668

Sports Tournament Information

Men’s Soccer: Thara Million 651-442-3351; Gay Moo Hser 651-500-9584; Saw Lah Set 651-500-3876
Women’s Soccer: Tu Lor 651-200-9847
Men’s and Women’s Volleyball: Thara Poe Thay Doh 651-210-4571; Thara KD Soe 651-239-8886
Caneball: Yaza 651-428-6328

Sport Registration due date – 07/25/2022.
For all other questions about the sports tournament please contact Thara Million 651-442-3351 or Thara Poe Thay Doh 65–210-4571.

Note: All sports team players must be in main ceremony because our goal is to honor Saw Ba U Gyi, the first president of Karen National Union and those who have died or been injured fighting for the independence of the Karen. The main ceremony will be held on Saturday morning from 8am to 9am.

Sponsorship

There are four sponsorship packages available with the following benefits:

• Bronze: $200 –a table reserved for your business at the resource fair on Saturday, August 6th/7th. (This includes both days)
• Silver: $500 – Bronze benefits plus business name on flyers, program schedule, and our website/social media platforms.
• Gold: $1000 – Silver benefits plus an opportunity to speak for 5 minutes during our “get to know the sponsors” part of the program (interpreters provided).
• Platinum: $2,500 –Gold benefits, plus a 3 minute interview/commercial (translated into Karen if desired) and played during the event and after the event on our social media/YouTube channels (a combined following of 45,000 people)

Register as a sponsor here!

Brief History of Karen Martyrs’ Day

The Karen’s are an indigenous people in the Southeast Asian countries of Thailand and Burma. In Burma, the Karen’s are the second largest ethnic group. The Karen aided the British during World War II, when the Japanese occupied the region. Many Karen were slaughtered, by both Japanese and Burma Independence Army soldiers.

After the war ended, Burma was granted independence in 1948 from Britain. The Karen, led by the Karen National Union (KNU), have been struggling for freedom, national equality, democracy and peace for several decades.

The Karen struggle has the aim of achieving a genuine federal on the political basis of equality and self-determination for all the ethnic people in Burma.

On August 12, 1950, Karen National leader Saw Ba U Gyi, who was the founder and president of the Karen National Union (KNU), was assassinated along with eight of his colleagues in Kawkareik, Karen State (Burma) by Burmese Army. Since then August 12 is recognized as Karen National Martyrs’ Day.
On Martyrs Day Karen people all over the world commemorate and honour fallen leaders, soldiers, and civilians that have lost their lives in the struggle for freedom, democracy, human rights and national equality in Burma.

Due to the ongoing attacks by the Burmese Army, more than one hundred thousand Karen refugees are currently taking refuge in the refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. A significant number of Karen recently migrated to western countries under the refugee resettlement program. And now around twenty thousands are residing in the Minnesota.

Come and join us for the remembrance of our loved ones who had sacrificed their lives for our Karen struggle to live free from oppression.