Wichita is a city of 400,000 people in the heart of the Kansas plains. It is known as the air capital of the world and is the hub of giant manufacturers such as Boeing, Cessna, and Spirit. It is also home to a large Lao community that lives and works for these companies. Today, the Lao community is thriving with a brilliant new temple, restaurants, and markets. However, like most immigrant communities, there is an underdog culture with deep layers of crime and discrimination. Lao people were known as the ghetto people. In the news, when there was a gang related shooting, the shooter had a Lao last name and was the son of the family down the street. The girls would get pregnant at sixteen and the boys would go to jail. There was a low high school graduation rate. A college education seemed foreign when most ended up at the aircraft companies. My grandparents owned a Lao grocery store and restaurant, south of Hillside, so we knew everyone and their business. The mae …