Let's Talk Human Rights

By Breanna Adams

As part of the summer fellowship program, University of Dayton student, Breanna Adams, worked with Legacies of War, an educational and advocacy organization working to address the impact of the American Secret War and the conflict in Southeast Asia, including removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Below she describes her experiences

My name is Breanna Adams and I had the great honor and privilege of joining the Legacies of War organization as a Human Rights Center Summer Fellow. My journey at Legacies has given me the opportunity to better understand the world around me. This fellowship has opened my eyes to recognize that sometimes human suffering is hidden in the shadows or even a secret. I now know the importance of shedding light and spreading awareness on issues that may be controversial to some, but are a necessity to recognize in order to help others heal the wounds of the past. I connected with the organization’s mission to help remove unexploded ordnances that still impact the livelihoods of so many innocent civilians so many years after the Vietnam conflict. People should be able to flourish in the societies they live in without being injured or killed by the actions that took place long before they were born. Innocent children, women and men should never be in the predicament where their rights to enjoy their lives securely and safely today are compromised by past conflict. 

The “Secret War''  in Laos and Cambodia is a war that the United States perpetrated and covered up since the Vietnam War era. The United States dropped more than 2.5 million tons of ordnances between 1964-1973 in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam during 580,000 bombing missions. This made Laos the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. The “Secret War” was perpetrated to help support the Royal Lao Government against the Pathet Lao and to interdict traffic of weapons and soldiers along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which displaced, injured and killed millions of people in Laos.

The mission of Legacies of War is to raise awareness about the history of these bombings and to remove undetonated ordnances that remain particularly in Laos. The organization also helps to provide a space for healing the wounds of war, and to create a future of hope and peace. It was established by Laotian-Americans in 1964-1973 when illustrations were collected by an American educational adviser Fred Branfman and his Laotian colleague Bounguen Lampreuserth. The illustrations depict the gruesome images of lives lived through the terrors of war and bombings in Laos and its surrounding environments in Cambodia and Vietnam. 

During my time at Legacies, I worked on many projects including a land mass comparison that showed the extent of the impacted land by UXOs/undetonated ordinances in Laos  in the context of each U.S state. The purpose is to give the audience a better understanding and perspective on the impact as if it were their own land affected. I  was also given the opportunity to write an op-ed piece on advocacy that was featured in the Legacies of War newsletter in August of 2022. In addition, I researched historical art organizations that could work with Legacies to preserve the original illustrations that contributed to the founding of Legacies of War. Finally, I was given the chance to advocate with my local Congressman Joe Morelle representing the 25th District of New York to join the UXO/Undetonated ordinances in the Laos caucus. I am pleased to note that Congressman Morelle joined the caucus on September 6th 2022.

What I take away from this work is a lesson of accountability. I believe that no human being should bear the burden and suffering from an event that happened before or around the time of their birth. Even though we are a half a century after the fact, accountability remains important in order to restore peace and justice for those who have been impacted. It is time that conversations about these issues take place on a global stage and shed more light on this injustice. 

Legacies of War stands for a cause that all people can learn and benefit from. The “Secret War'' should no longer be a secret and should come to light and be taught in our education systems and in our societies. This is not just a war of far and foreign places, but a war our country, our homeland created. As Americans, we should reflect on how we can turn this dark past into a bright future of hope and peace for our world. It is our moral responsibility to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself and we learn from the past to help create a safer and better future for all. 

I am excited to see the great work of Legacies of War flourish and become a mainstream topic and lesson for our world. As the summer comes to a close, I am sad that my time at Legacies is ending but hope that I can still contribute and support this extraordinary organization and cause.

Breanna Adams is a full time rising Junior at the University of Dayton from Rochester, New York. Breanna is an international studies major and a human rights, pre-law and Arabic minor. She is in pursuit of a career in International Human Rights Law and hopes to advocate for those who are gravely suffering from human rights abuses and violations.