Legacies Library

Between 1975 and 1995, over three million people fled Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Tragically, many perished at sea. Of the 2.5 million refugees who eventually resettled across the globe, over one million found a new home in the U.S. Throughout all levels of education, we have observed a significant gap in the curriculum regarding the history of the Vietnam War era, particularly the Secret War that the U.S. waged on Laos - a neutral country. Legacies is driven by three core pillars: History, Healing, and Hope. To achieve the latter two pillars, Healing and Hope, it is essential to ensure that the first pillar, History, is comprehensively addressed. Due to decades of disinformation and erasure of history, Southeast Asian Americans remain a vital American community that has been left out of the American consciousness even though many of the families fleeing war and conflict had no choice.

Our goal is to uplift these communities and permanently preserve and protect the unique contributions, experiences, cultures, and languages which have not been recognized. Refugee families, survivors, and voices of the diaspora will never be forgotten through our preservation of history within Legacies Library. Unfortunately, systemic racism still plagues our society and the lack of awareness has contributed to flawed policies and legislation. The term ‘Asian American’ is inadequate because there remains a large gap between Southeast Asians and the rest of the AAPI community. We are standing in the gap to address and improve this great need through education, advocacy, and community engagement.

We hold the U.S. government accountable for its violent actions in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia by preserving history that is at risk of extinction. We aim to be a source of an expansive, accessible, and completely free digitized collection housing primary source documents that will preserve the endangered history of The American Secret War in Laos and war legacies in Cambodia and Vietnam for universities, educators, policy makers, members of the Southeast Asian diaspora, and veterans—to foster learning, healing, and hope for a bomb-free future. In response to this challenge, we created Legacies Library (LL), the only corner of the internet where people can find a list of resources about The American Secret War in Laos. It is a collection of books, films, articles, and oral histories vetted by Legacies that tells the story of the American bombing of Laos (1964-1973) and its neighbors in Vietnam and Cambodia. LL offers original programming including film screenings and author interviews that tell the living story of the “American Secret War” in Laos–ensuring it’s no longer a footnote in American history. 

Our work to preserve this history has been recognized by CNN and NBC. Our bandwidth is extremely limited due to this effort being primarily volunteer-led. We are seeking funding to launch the professional preservation and digitization of primary documents from The American Secret War with a prioritization of “The Originals.” “The Originals” are extremely rare illustrations and narratives that were collected between December 1970 and May 1971 in the Vientiane refugee camps, where victims of the U.S. bombings fled. They represent the thousands of civilians who endured an air war campaign perpetuated in secrecy. Drawn primarily in pencil, pen, crayons and markers, they are raw and stark, reflecting the crude events that shaped their reality. The authenticity of “The Originals” emphasizes the illustrators not as artists or writers, but ordinary villagers who bore witness to a devastating event.

As first and second-generation Lao-Americans, we are uniquely qualified to preserve the living heritage of this vibrant American community. Our team has helped build lasting bonds between unlikely allies including government officials, veterans, ethnic minorities, and intergenerational leadership. Legacies is an essential convener in the Southeast Asian American community that makes up 14% of the U.S population and serves as an honest broker.

While Legacies Library reaches broadly outwards to Americans including refugees, veterans and in all walks of life to educate and catalyze positive action in addressing the lasting impact of War, our member base comes largely from the Lao, Hmong, and Mien- American communities. More recently, Legacies of War has been making outreach to other Southeast Asian ethnic communities (Khmer and Vietnamese) that have been impacted by violent conflict in Southeast Asia and came to the U.S. as refugees.

Our organization’s demographics are critical to working with these communities. By being trusted members of the community and sharing in the journey to deal with the lingering effects of conflict, our team is able to build bridges and make in-roads into Southeast Asian American communities in a way that organizations of a different demographic makeup might find difficult.

This year, we implemented a series of community gatherings in 8 strategic cities and will complete 14 stops in 2023 across the United States to mark the significance of the 50th Year and bring more awareness to our educational programs like Legacies Library, which we are calling the "50th Year Forget-Me-Not Tour". Our tour has reached over 1,000 attendees and participants, three universities, and over a dozen community groups. We are measuring our success by the amount of communities we engage, the cities that we partner with, and the work that is multiplied by our efforts. This will involve collecting data through surveys, interviews, and focus groups with students, teachers, and the general public.

Legacies leads a movement working towards the eradication of indiscriminate weapons worldwide, starting with Laos, the most bombed country, per capita, in history. 

Sera Koulabdara, CEO, is relentless and has broken down barriers in establishments and spaces that lack the voice of someone who is directly impacted by the legacies of war. Under her leadership, funding for Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam has reached an all-time high at $73M. She became the first Lao-American to participate in the 20th MSP to the Mine Ban Convention. By unanimous vote, she was elected to serve as the Chair of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions Coalition this year. Sera is the first BIPOC, millennial, and person with lived experience in an impacted country to take on this leadership role. She is the only Lao representation in the War Legacies Working Group and within the demining advocacy space in Washington, D.C. Legacies is also part of the AA Leader’s Table, a coalition of over 100 organizations working to address issues impacting AAPI, where they are the only Lao-American led organization. Legacies has played a significant role in introducing 'The Legacies of War Recognition and UXO Removal Act' in Congress which recognizes Southeast Asian veterans who fought alongside the U.S.  and authorizes funding for humanitarian demining.

Legacies’ Chief of Staff, Aleena Inthaly, serves as the community outreach and grassroots lead. She is the creator of the “Thip Khao,” a creative storytelling hub that houses the “Thip Khao Talk,” Legacies’ very first education series turned podcast with 11 episodes, 16 featured speakers, and the reach of  50 states and 9 countries. Legacies’ Chief of Mission, Danae Hendrickson, leads Legacies' communication, Legacies Library, and fundraising efforts. She has created a cohesive brand and has doubled our reach on social media platforms. For all the scars left over from the American Secret War in Laos, we are slowly and attentively patching up the wounds to promote lasting healing across communities in a united front. 

Legacies is faced with significant challenges due to the lack of attention and financial support for our work. This is directly linked to the lack of awareness of the history of Southeast Asian Americans which is a history that faces extinction if not properly preserved. Due to this lack of awareness, our existence remains invisible leading to the lack of funding and attention. The lack of knowledge and understanding of the American Secret War, particularly the role of the United States in dropping bombs in Laos, is a disservice to our students and to the people who suffered as a result of this conflict. We need to confront this difficult history head-on. As a result, this part of American history is not commonly taught in schools. Our educational work is crucial to ensuring that people are aware of these facts. However, we face pushback from some members of Congress, their staff, and even members of our own community who question the facts and seek to change the narrative. They disregard the U.S.' responsibility to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam and its people, who are still threatened by the dangers of bombs even 50 years later.

As a small team of three full-time Lao-American women, we face significant challenges in advocating for change in spaces dominated by Caucasian men and exclusive groups. Because of disinformation, bombs continue to be used around the world. Legacies’ role as the chair of the United States Campaign to Ban Landmines - Cluster Munition Coalition (USCBL-CMC) to ban these indiscriminate weapons is birthed from continued support as a society to be pro-war, pro-weapons, pro-military. We can say that this continues to perpetuate violence towards people who had to live through a war or are still facing the trauma from it. Inaction is a form of violence and changing the narrative about what actually happened is also an attack and is another form of violence.

With the proper funding and philanthropy, we can properly preserve the endangered history through the leftover primary sources we currently house. In addition, we can utilize the funds to develop new spaces for learning through a free online learning platform.

We’ve seen the direct impact that prizes, national recognition, and the power that media coverage for a small organization like Legacies of War could have when President Obama went to Laos and thanked our organization. It has resulted in new donors, new grant opportunities, bigger stages, and larger audiences. 

We will bring nearly 20 years of professional experience in the non-profit sector, resilient drive through our history of war and refuge, and a desire to share what we know to be helpful to other Solvers.

Without Legacies Library (LL) there is risk of the history of The American Secret War in Laos becoming extinct. The LL is a cornerstone for searched resources on the American Secret War and features 14 books, 11 articles, and 8 films created by a long list of American, Lao, Hmong, and youth experts, authors, and artists. The LL page on our website is the #1 ranked site on Google when searching “bombing of Laos,” meeting a critical need for information about this vastly underrepresented topic. In the last 90 days, the average visitor spent an astounding 15 minutes on our site, the majority of them viewing primary source documents that are unique to LL. Since its launching, we have also conducted 8 virtual interviews with the authors featured in the library that reached over 4,900 audience members. Among the works featured in the library include Joshua Kurlantzick’s “A Great Place to Have a War: America in Laos and the Birth of a Military CIA,” which details the CIA’s involvement in the war, Pao Lor’s “Modern Jungles: A Hmong Refugee’s Childhood Story of Survival,” a first person account told from the perspective of a 5-year-old boy, and Prinston Pan’s “Kong’s Adventure,” a children’s picture book following the journey of Prinston’s Grandfather Kong from Laos to the U.S. 

Our aim with LL is not only to educate and mobilize individuals on the issue of UXO in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, but also to encourage the diaspora in the U.S. to embrace and preserve their shared history of war and refuge. By transforming our experiences of shame and pain into narratives of resilience, cultural pride, and healing, we strive to empower these individuals and promote a deeper sense of community and belonging.

Legacies Library provides a space for experts to speak about relevant issues related to the American Secret War and intervention in Southeast Asia. With additional funding, we aim to expand our work and bring Legacies Library to more communities as well as making it more inclusive for users living with disabilities, non-English speakers, and our elders. We hope to launch learning courses on how to best interact with and utilize Legacies Library.

Our goal is to cement this history as part of American history. In doing so, opening the doors and making space on the pages of our textbooks for other underrepresented parts of American history.

Goal for the next year:

Properly present the history of The American Secret War in Laos-

Legacies has spent the last two decades researching declassified documents, bombing records, and the impact of UXO on the environment and people of Laos. We present these findings in ways that bring awareness to the history and funding for land clearance and victim assistance for the people of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. As the leading experts in this field, we plan to utilize the high volume of traffic to our Legacies Library page, and present a digital timeline of the history of The American Secret War in Laos and our organization’s contributions to this work. We will work together with other experts in our field, historians, professors, and UX/UI developers and designers to launch this historic project on our Legacies Library webpage.

Five Year Goals:

Inclusion of The American Secret War in Laos into Curriculum-

We've worked with statewide Departments of Education and Universities to expand curriculum that is inclusive of the history of The American Secret War in Laos. With the proper funding, we will continue to partner with more lawmakers and communities to scale up our efforts nationally, in a way that strengthens minority communities to take the lead on how their history is told and represented.

Provide Free Resources-

Legacies is a very lean organization with a staff of three people and an annual budget of $300,000 per year. Our staff is made up of members of the communities that we serve. Legacies preserves important artifacts and oral histories while keeping them in the community to which they belong. We do so without creating unnecessary barriers so that all Americans can have access to this shared history. Accessing this history can help the nation heal from the wounds of war and move toward a brighter future. As it stands currently, Legacies Library is a list of books, articles and films. The links associated with these works take users away from our website to purchase and learn more elsewhere. We aim to eventually offer these books, articles, and films and distribute free of charge to schools, universities, and public libraries in the U.S.

Growing our reading circle

The LL committee is made up of one Legacies staff liaison and eight volunteers with diverse backgrounds and expertise. There is an ever growing list for our LL committee of books, articles, and films focused on The American Secret War in Laos and U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia with request for inclusion to Legacies Library. As we grow our reading circle and partner with other experts of this history, we will be able to grow the LL list and ensure its sustained credibility as a vetted source of information to learn about this history.

Partnerships with Universities

In our experience with speaking with Asian American Programs at the University level, they know little to nothing about the history of The American Secret War in Laos or Legacies Library. We are working to connect with every university in the U.S., with prioritization of campuses with Southeast Asian Studies, and introduce Legacies Library as a free tool to learn more about this history. Our goal is to inspire further research and academic focus on the issue of lasting war legacies in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Preserving primary source documents and opportunities to access

We are the sole keepers of “The Originals” drawn by refugees and Secret War survivors collected by American activist Fred Branfman in the 1970s and first edition print materials. Traffic to our site proves that there is a need for more information about the Secret War, and as the stewards of this important information, we feel the responsibility to meet that need. Our team is committed to properly preserving the primary source documents that we hold and also to providing access to these documents by offering high-quality digital copies. These copies have been used by universities to showcase in exhibits and at the United Nations during International Mine Awareness Day.

ACTIVITY ONE

Vetting books, articles, and films

OUTPUT

New works are added to Legacies Library (LL)

SHORT TERM OUTCOMES

Brings more traffic to the LL webpage

MEDIUM TERM OUTCOMES

Shows the LL committee which works are of highest interest

LONG TERM OUTCOMES

The LL list is representative of a diverse timeline of works and incorporates a more  narrowed focus influenced from user interest

ACTIVITY TWO

Facilitating virtual and in-person author panels and interviews

Virtual and in-person author panels and interviews are added to the LL webpage and social networks for promotion

SHORT TERM OUTCOMES

Audience and viewership to the LL webpage grows.

MEDIUM TERM OUTCOMES

Audience, viewers, and authors are inspired to share about their experience - effectively growing awareness of LL

Existing authors in the LL begin to network and invite their peers to submit relevant works to LL.

ACTIVITY THREE

Meeting with Asian Studies Programs at Universities

OUTPUT

In person and virtual meetings are facilitated between LL committee and Asian Studies Programs

SHORT TERM OUTCOMES

Increased awareness of LL and the history of The American Secret War in Laos

MEDIUM TERM OUTCOMES

Universities sponsor LL events on their campus

LONG TERM OUTCOMES

Inclusion of the history of The American Secret War in Laos into Asian Studies/Southeast Asian studies programs and inspires further scholarly research of the impact of UXO in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

ACTIVITY FOUR

Networking with media outlets

OUTPUT

New contacts are made with interest in LL

SHORT TERM OUTCOMES

Op-ed submissions written by LL committee members have a broader base when pitching to outlets

MEDIUM TERM OUTCOMES

Op-ed submissions written by LL committee members are picked up and published

LONG TERM OUTCOMES

SEO improves and brings a larger audience and increased credibility to LL webpage

Legacies Library supports easy access to quality educational resources that promote a greater understanding of our shared history for all. Through our technology solution, we aim to provide free and open access to resources that are often gated or difficult to find. This includes primary source documents, historical artifacts, and multimedia resources that provide a comprehensive view of American history.

Our solution serves many purposes, all of which are critical to improving education in American history classrooms. First and foremost, we aim to promote greater understanding and empathy for the diverse experiences and perspectives that have shaped our country. By providing resources that are accessible to everyone, we can help break down barriers that prevent people from accessing this important information.

Secondly, our solution is designed to be easily navigable by communities that don't have easy access to technology. This includes elders, people with disabilities, and non-English speakers. By making our resources available in multiple languages and accessible through a variety of devices, we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn and grow.

Finally, our solution is designed to be scalable to different learning environments and to make the user experience adaptable. Whether in the classroom or at home, our resources are accessible and engaging, providing a unique and immersive learning experience for students of all ages.

The entirety of Legacies’ staff are Lao-Americans. Our CEO, Sera Koulabdara, was born in Laos and experienced first hand walking to school in a bomb-littered land. Members of Legacies’ board of directors are subject matter experts, former ambassadors, government staff, and members of the SE Asian American community.

Through our unique approach, we have expanded our presence as an organization by building up our network of in-country partners while providing an opportunity for members of the younger generation of people residing in Laos, Laotian-Americans, Americans of other heritages, and the international community to deepen their sense of connection, interest, and investment in the region. As Lao-Americans, we strengthen relationships by building trust between Laos, the U.S. and the Southeast Asian diaspora in order to further our educational programming. We are the only Lao-American led organization that consistently collaborates with global partners including those in Laos and the U.S. to encourage transparency and promote accountability in the UXO sector. 

Legacies Library is a groundbreaking tool to learn more about The American Secret War in Laos and U.S. involvement in SE Asia. In addition to prioritizing the work from the diaspora community, it has inspired more authors and researchers to share their stories. It fights disinformation, preserves the history of marginalized communities, and challenges the toxic narrative that leads to hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Legacies has helped build lasting bonds between unlikely allies including government officials, veterans, ethnic minorities, and intergenerational leadership.  Our community engagement work is intentionally multi-disciplinary, integrating not only history and politics but also food, art, fashion, and cultural heritage. In addition to educating and mobilizing community members about the UXO issue in Laos, our work aims to help the diaspora from Laos to embrace the shared history of war and refuge it once shunned, turning shame and pain into a narrative of resiliency, cultural pride and healing.

Legacies Library exists to educate the American public about the history of the American Secret War in Laos, the current negative impacts of the legacies of American bombs on the people, animals and environment of Laos, and what we as global citizens can do to resolve these problems. Users gain free access to vetted resources such as books, articles, and films to learn more about The American Secret War in Laos and U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia.

This design of information keeps key audiences informed of history that powerful governments and individuals tried to keep secret, draws attention to how the trauma of war impacts land and people today, and equips them to be engaged constituents and advocates for peace. As Legacies of War is a credible source of information on this topic, researchers and academics can confidently rely on the vetted list of works in Legacies Library and use them as a powerful tool to further the necessary research of this topic. The Legacies Library committee is responsible for expanding the list of works within the library and is committed to continue to prioritize the voices of diaspora communities. 

We aim to create a new generation of peace leaders and foster an exchange between the Lao diaspora community in the U.S., the community in Laos, veterans, youth, and the broader American public. Legacies Library demonstrates that achieving a more peaceful world is possible by teaching the shared history of The American Secret War in Laos and the positive impact that Legacies’ advocacy work has had on land clearance, victim assistance, and mine risk education in Laos. Users engaged with Legacies Library will be empowered to partner with Legacies’ advocacy and education work as we continue to fight for a bomb-free Laos.

While our current expenses for Legacies Library are low, mainly staff time, our progress is stalled due to the capacity of staff and volunteers. Current funding for Legacies Library comes through general donations. If we are able to secure the proper funding through a large grant, we envision that the pools of future funding will broaden to include publishing houses, universities, museums, the Department of Education, and private funders who have a special interest in this history and its preservation. Activities such as author panel discussions and interviews, film screenings, and university presentations will garner the interest of future funders. 

Legacies of War has used a few of the cornerstone works in its Legacies Library such as ‘The United States, Southeast Asia, and Historical Memory’ book, to give away as a donor gift for donations of $50.00 or more. We have also received honorariums for speaking engagements with universities where we have discussed the history of The American Secret War in Laos and U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia.