What We Do

Laotian American National Alliance

For more than 20 years we have been dedicated to advancing the social and economic well-being of the multi-ethnic Laotian Americans in the United States.

Programs

LANA Votes
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Anti-Disinformation Project

2023 Priorities

Building power with Laotian Americans

outline of a plumeria flower, the national flower of Laos

Education

Creating educational resources to increase the general public’s understanding of our diverse community and needs.

Visibility

Increasing the visibility of Laotian Americans through promoting Laotian American participation in public service and leadership.

Collaboration

Collaborating with Laotian led organizations, national organizations, and cultural leaders to build power with the community.

Programming Includes:

  • Monthly Community Calls
  • Monthly Newsletter
  • Community Listserv
  • Virtual Town Halls
  • Covid-19 and Vaccine Outreach
  • Small grants

Policy Priorities

Data Equity

The administration should commit to modernizing data collection for our communities by setting a standard for the collection of disaggregated data across all federal agencies. 

Immigration

Lift Visa Sanctions on Laos

The administration should exercise judicial discretion and executive power to halt the deportation of Southeast Asian refugees, deprioritizing immigration enforcement against individuals with convictions older than five years; and eliminating existing DHS visa sanctions against Cambodia and Laos. 
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New Way Forward Act (H.R. 536)

The New Way Forward Act marks an important step toward remedying injustices in the U.S. immigration system and securing the full human rights of all members of our communities. The New Way Forward Act rolls back harmful immigration laws that, for decades, have led to racial profiling and disproportionately resulted in the incarceration, deportation, and destruction of families of color and immigrant communities.Factsheet

Education

Teaching Asian Pacific American History Act (H.R. 2283)

This bill seeks to provide an understanding of the history, contributions and experiences of Asian Pacific Americans to help eliminate the discrimination and prejudice that the Asian American community has been forced to endure not just over the past year, but for decades. The Teaching Asian Pacific American History Act would require grant applications from Presidential and Congressional Academies to include Asian Pacific American history as part of their American history and civics programs offered to students and teachers.

Language Access

COVID-19 Language Access Act (H.R. 1009)

This bill requires each federal agency that receives federal assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic to translate any English language written material prepared for the general public relating to the pandemic, including COVID-19 vaccine distribution and education, into specified languages no later than seven days after such material is made available in English.

Such languages shall include, at a minimum, the following: Spanish, Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Haitian Creole, French, Hindi, Hmong, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Tagalog, Urdu, Vietnamese, Greek, Polish, Thai, and Portuguese.