The Lao community in the Bay

California is, of course, the state with the largest population of Lao in the United States for many different reasons. Here, there are many issues the community faces along with many other refugee and immigrant groups. In April, I will be traveling to do more research about the current state of the Lao community and differences in the ways of life in the Bay area, the Valley and other parts of the state as part of my NEA fellowship. But here are some photos from my recent trip to the Oakland/San Francisco/Richmond area, and a meeting with Dr. Vinya Sysamouth from the Center for Lao Studies.