My name is Vekonda Luangaphay and I am Lao American. In light of Asian History Month and Lao New Year in April of 2020, I started The Lao Project to build a collection of tales on being Lao in America.
(Italicized font are clickables below)
My sole purpose is to bring forward underrepresented stories and voices, such as Lao narratives. That way my future grandchildren’s school friends will not ask them “Are you Chinese?” or “Where’s Laos?”, and instead ask things like, “Isn’t Laos the most bombed nation in history? Wasn’t it because of the US’s ‘secret war’ during the Vietnam War?” or “Wasn’t Laos once known as ‘The Land of a Million Elephants’ ?” or “You’re Lao? Cool. Can I try some sticky rice?”
(Click on each question to get answers, BTW)
And as my future grandchildren wiggle and wobble their way into finding self-identity and abundance in the world, they would have a stable foundation to sprout from and be proud of.
What I hope for you to gain from this project is to feel honored when we bring you into our kitchen, feel warmth in the way our elders ask us to eat, and resonate with our stories of pursuits over tea, or some Henny and Remy, while we chow down slices of strip steak and spicy papaya salad.
So as you join us at the table and ask each of us, “What we love about being Lao American,” I hope you giggle, laugh, and tear up with us as we each share our essence.
Welcome to The Lao Project.
Enter ethos by clicking on any photo below or just keep on scrolling through. Enjoy.
“As a Lao American I have had to grow into loving our culture. I think
most of it derives
from the need to assimilate at a very young age.”
- Michael Sompasong Sengmanivong, 42, LA, CA
“ My artwork is about educating the public about our stories and the importance of Asian American voices. My work has always been a little political and overt. Being an artist for me is when my work can provoke, educate, and question our surroundings.”
- Sisavanh Phouthavong Houghton, an award winning multi-media artist
“I have been a Lao cook influencer for more than a year, and so far it's been time consuming to shoot and edit each episode. It takes a lot of my time away from my personal life, but being part of the Lao Food Movement is my passion. “
- Harris Panyanouvong, YouTuber of Lao food cooking
“What made me want to start dancing were the music videos I watched with my mom and aunt when I was younger. I never want to give up on Lao dancing because I know Laotians aren’t represented enough.”
-Emily Phongsongkham, San Diego, CA
“I am running for City Council, District 33 in Brooklyn, NY, and I will be the first woman, mom, and person of color to win in this district.”
“
My favorite genre is R&B, but I'm not a good singer. So the next best thing was to rap. Growing up in the Bay Area, we were influenced by Too $hort, E-40, Mac Dre, and others. Being Lao American, you're overlooked most of the time. Not many people know where Laos is. There are successful Lao rappers that give me a boost. Although, my style is different from theirs, we shared the same goal in representing our peoples at the highest level possible.”
“My family’s refugee journey and that of all diaspora groups around the world inspired my vision in fostering a community built on meaningful relationships by exploring innovative approaches in preserving stories of the human journey through art, music, literature, video, photography, and food.”
- Dr. Palina Louangketh, Founder and Executive Director of the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora
“
Where is the Laotian representation? Why don't people know of the war torn land that my people had to escape? And why did I always feel so out of place in middle school and high school? I am so foreign, who I am is not important enough to be taught in schools or shown on television.
Lao communities up and down California gathered to advocate for Laotian history and cultural studies to be included in the California K-12 school system.
I felt the need to be a part of the movement so badly,
I created That One Lao Girl videos to give my voice a platform and to connect with other Lao folks.”
- Victoria P of Fresno, CA
“Being the stubborn and tenacious Lao woman that I am,
I confronted my white boss and told him to fuck off! Little did I know, it would be the beginning of the most passionate and adventurous transition of my life! I cook and host parties and listen to crime podcasts all day long! Working for myself and building my dream has fueled me in ways I cannot describe.”
— Phonephimon Ae Southammavong, San Diego. CA
“We as Lao Americans can educate non-Lao people about the beauty of our culture. For me, I make short videos to show the different sides of being Lao. I remember I used to watch BGZTV on social media and how his popularity grew because of his comedic skits. In fact, I actually got to hangout with BGZTV a few times and he’s a hilarious guy and definitely an entertainer.”
-Gary Sayviseth, San Francisco Bay Area
“Growing up in Southeast San Diego, we didn't have much. So I made the effort to create something from nothing.”
-Krysada Panusith Phounsiri of San Diego, CA
"I love that my American husband has embraced the culture, married into the culture, and made it his own."
Marivanh Moukdarath Stephens, she/her, 39, NC
“Sometimes I was not always comfortable sharing my culture because I grew up in a predominately white neighborhood, and I felt that if I shared aspects of my culture then my friends would deem it as “not normal” and I would be judged. However As a Lao-American, something that I love about Lao culture that I have always felt comfortable sharing with my friends is Lao food.”
-Angel Luangaphay, 16, She/Her, NY
“Lao culture is a strong sense of community that you come to learn is a part of you and has become your support system, which you may not even realize at first. It pleasantly creeps up on you.”
— Vanessa Luangaphay, she/her, 19, NY
“One of my favorite parts about Lao weddings is when everyone ties white strings around the wrists of the bride and groom while reciting out loud their warm wishes for our marriage. It’s as if they’re linking on us lovely blessings.”
Banja Bouphasavanh, He/Him, 34, SC/NC
“Lao dancing is traditional and ancient. When I perform, I feel that I am sharing a part of the Lao history through every hand and foot movement. I do it gracefully with intention to entertain my audience.”
- Lisa Sanesanong, She, 35, Kansas
“Being Lao-American means coming from a humble background that is rich in: courage, honor, and sacrifice.
Every time I share my parents’ escape stories with others, I often feel like they’re giving me a performance review…”
Tico Somvang Thepsourinthone (tee-koh sohm-vung tep-sir-in-tawn), he/him, 32, Pigeon, MI.
“When I ordered papaya salad in Laos, it was the best papaya salad I ever had. I spent years upon years trying to replicate the papaya salad and once I got it to nearly as good,
I started Mr.PadakSap.”
- Brian/Bounsai Vongthavady, CA
“I’ve lived it and seen it firsthand of how hard the elders put forth effort and investment towards the next generation and the generation after that.
They were like any other Americans, surrounded by gang violence, racial tension, poor school systems, and the rapid of drug usage and addiction.…If you had asked me 15 years ago where would I be today, I would have told you dead or in the penitentiary. I’m no saint by any means, but I’ve never played the victim or the race card. I took accountability and responsibility for my past mistakes and my actions.”
- Iesarha Sam Lovan, 31, IA
“Strength comes from being uncomfortable. and I was uncomfortable with being Lao. I wanted to fit in so bad that at a certain point I started shoving that identity away.
I became happy when I started being honest with how I felt. I started appreciating my culture and the fact that I can pick and choose who I want to be.”
- Vanesa Donangtavanh
“We have good tasting food such as
Lao sausages. It’s made with ground fatty pork that’s seasoned with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, cilantro, chillies, garlic, salt, sticky rice and fish sauce.”
- Nathan Luangaphay, 14, he/him, NY
“Lao food is the gateway I use to get people
to be more interested in Lao culture.”
- Andrew Luangaphay, 16, He/Him, NY
“When I was a child, I noticed not many students and teachers from school knew what Lao culture was. As I grew older, I learned how to explain it better.
When asked, ‘where’s Laos?’ I alway love to explain. ‘It’s a landlocked country in Southeast Asia between Thailand and Vietnam,’ I’d say."
- Vannepha Luangaphay, 27, She, NY
“I strongly believe we should continue to pass on
our parents roots and history, and
teach the younger generation how to stay connected and why it is so important.”
- Anna Nguyen, 29, She/her, NY
“I love to share with my friends how tight of a community we are. I always tell my friends that my family all lives only 2 minutes from each other, and they always respond with, “WOW! I wish my family was that close together too!”
Natta Luangaphay, she/her, 12, N.Y.
Photographed with her older brother, Nathan, at the Lao temple in Binghamton, N.Y.
“I love our sense of community and celebrations.
Laotian New Year
and weddings are events I look forward to because I get to meet strangers in the morning and by lunch time, they become family
(pi-nong!)”
- Vilayphet Thanadabouth, she/her, 35, Tampa, FL
“I introduced my boyfriend Zachary to Lao food at our family parties.
He LOVES our traditional meals, and I think that’s why my family likes him so much.”
- Selena Tavanh, she/her, 23, NY
“Our parents just want us to have a stable future and not worry about our next meal like they had in their past.”
- Andrew Obmalay, he/him, 29, IL
“My family ran an Asian grocery store in Ohio, I was constantly exposed to unique foods and blessed with the opportunity to meet and learn about the amazing people among the various communities around me.”
-Vincent Thepsourinthone, he/his, 28, AZ
“Our culture is deeply rooted and intertwined in our religion, food, and everything from our families to our individual spirit.”
Adam Obmalay, 31, From Chicago, IL, ( I currently live in San Diego and LA, but I want to rep my home.)
“Sharing with my friends our food and family gatherings make things more exciting, and more appreciable.”
— Sammantha Thepsourinthone, she/her, 22, OH
“I’m fortunate in that I’m among the Lao Americans who can fluently speak Lao. Growing up in my teen years,
I would grasp for my elders’ wisdom as I
articulated any emotional challenges. With the lineage of my ancestors shedding light on the wisdom of the past, I’ve had a strong anchor for my journey in life. Thanks to them,
I approach the world and life with a broadened scope and expanded knowledge
.”
- Vekonda Luangaphay, 29, She, NY
“Thank you for joining us. Come back again!”
Let’s connect! Stay tuned for more stories.
