We are all Immigrants
“Of course, we couldn’t all come over on the Mayflower. But I got here as soon as I could, and I never wanted to go back.”
Anton Cermak
We are America
“Speaking different tongues, we nevertheless meet here today as brothers…Henceforth we have one country, one hope, one destiny”
Justice Nathaniel Bennett
These are our Stories
“One of our ancient methods is to tell a story begging the listener to say,
You’re not as alone as you thought.”
John Steinbeck
Latest Stories
My Heart Has Two Countries
Kseniia Hnatovska never kept up with the news. Instead, she was a planner. She loved scheduling vacations and weekend activities,
Getting Down to Business
For Abiba Magba Magba, running a business was a means of survival. Her mother taught her this while Magba was growing up in Bangui,
Flavors From Home In A Suitcase
Ask almost any refugee from war-torn countries how they arrived on these shores, and at this specific place, and you will inevitably hear of radical choices
Featured Stories
Opportunity in Every Hurdle
Ng Lai Goon, eager to fit in with her American grade school peers, chose her American name, Sally, from an elementary school reading primer,
Following Music to Freedom
It has always been music that has guided Ahmad Fanoos’ life. “My whole family liked music,” he explains. “And it was part of my life from a very early age.”
Finding Strength in a Complex Heritage
“Being 100% American means fully accepting your heritage — whatever it is,” Mitzi Loftus says, reflecting on her experience growing up in Oregon
Live! Stories
Behind the Mountain: A Story
Naw Abikaila Ki (Nawbi) started life in a refugee camp in Thailand. As members of the ethnic minority, the Karen, Nawbi’s family has no territory to call their own
I Am An American: I Do Belong Here
Growing up in Vietnam, Thao Nguyen always felt like an outsider. As one of 23,000 mixed-race children left behind by US servicemen,
A Love Worth Fighting For
It took sneaking out of school for a coffee date, countless phone calls, a year of opening just one love letter a day, getting two families to agree to have […]
Latest Podcast Episodes
The Immigrant Story Live Podcast II
Welcome to The Immigrant Story Live, where we feature stories from the stage. In each episode of this new series we weave together three stories that were originally
They Will be Free Soon
Veronika Levytska and Ian Levytsky grew up in Ukraine but dreamed of an easier life – away from the shadow of Russia – for themselves and their loved ones.
Pioneering Pilot Breaks Barriers
As a young woman growing up in a conservative society, Safia Ferozi overcame intense expectations and restrictions placed on women
Latest Conversations
It Takes a Yes from One Person
This episode brings together two remarkable women, both public servants. Sophorn Cheang is the director of Business Oregon, the economic development
Life is a Work in Progress
What does a mental health journey look like? How can art, music, and therapy bring us to better self understanding and self love? In this episode, Portland Community
I Am An American – Panel Discussion
Panelists explored their experiences as Asian American women, offering personal reflections as well as highlighting current xenophobia and intolerance against
Featured Movies
To Bear Witness: Closure
On a journey to come to terms with their losses, a group of Holocaust survivors from Portland, OR, travel together to six of the locations where concentration camps
To Bear Witness: Reconciliation
A survivor of the genocide in Rwanda when he was a teenager, Emmanuel Turanturanye has a theory about why he is alive: to tell rest of world what happened
To Bear Witness: Building Community
After the Khmer Rouge killed her husband, Saron’s mother gathered her three small children and made her way to a refugee camp in Thailand and, finally,
Live! Music
Temple Romance – Live on Stage
Temple Romance goes to South Indian classical flute melodies blended with a strong string and chorale harmonies. Bala’s inspiration for this piece is
Magic Gem – Live on Stage
Magic Gem takes a classic Western melody and adapts it to an Eastern classical vibe using the Chinese erhu, played by Jerry Lin.
Hit the Strings – Live on Stage
Hit the Strings is based on a Middle Eastern musical scale and features the Japanese koto played by Masumi Timson. Many cultural influences flow between
What We Carried
Painted Letter #2, Berlin, Germany
Eva Rickles: This is the second letter from Peter, expressing the joy he felt to receive my parents’ response to his first letter written from Shanghai.
Painted Letter #1, Berlin, Germany
Eva Rickles: Jou and Peter’s Departure (Text below the letter) This picture depicts the exodus of friends of my parents who had to flee from Germany in 1938
Photographs, Budapest, Hungary
Eva E. Aigner: Our apartment became a house marked by a Jewish star, during the Holocaust. We were taken to the ghetto from here.