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
Coming Home to America
Living a half block from the beach may sound luxurious, but growing up in the 1970s in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, Thao Nguyen said it was a sign of poverty.
Really Hard to Get Back Up
It was 11 in the morning on Aug. 9, 2021, when Mohammed and his family entered a German-run clinic in Kabul to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations. Later that night,
Just Waiting for a Miracle
“Just waiting for miracles. That was pretty much my day,” Marceline Washikala reflects on her life growing up in a series of refugee camps.
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
Shall We Dance Bollywood?
As a student in India, Prashant worked hard and finally achieved the American dream of a well-paying job in engineering and a career that made his parents proud.
Food Feeds our Souls
Born in Tehran, Iran in 1978, during the Iranian revolution, Sara came to Portland with her family in 1986. As young teenagers,
Taking Some Losses to Win
TK grew up in segregated Rhodesia under British control and experienced the joyous birth of independent Zimbabwe. As a young lawyer,
Latest Podcast Episodes
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
Music that Lifts the Spirit
When you think of courageous living, playing music is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But Dijana Ihas, a professional musician and refugee
Latest Conversations
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
Conversation Series: 200% American
Mitzi Asai Loftus and her son Toby talk frankly about her memories of growing up in Hood River, Oregon; her childhood incarceration
Here From the Very Beginning
Kambiz GhaneaBassiri is one of the nation’s leading scholars of Islam in the United States. In this conversation, he sat down with writer and educator
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.