Sankar Raman

Value of Human Belonging

Before she was even born, Toc Soneoulay-Gillespie began her journey far away from her roots in her Lao village.  Her mother, Phouvong Sonelouay,

Karen Weliky

Preserving a Family Legacy

When you walk into the Jeffrey Allen Gallery in downtown Portland, you are greeted by an abundance of greenery and history;  

Sankar Raman

Keeping Our People Alive

As a child, Mohsin Jamal was terrified every time the sun set in his neighborhood in western Kabul. The Taliban would roam the streets at night, abducting young boys

Karen Weliky

Escaping the Taliban Through Art

When Ghu Ali Danish Kamal and his family arrived in Portland from Afghanistan, they were provided with $722 in cash. He headed straight to the art store  

Sankar Raman

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. 

Alexandra Shyshkina

Longing To Return Home

“My family and I thought this would be over soon,” Volodymyr Shyshkin says. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Shyshkin thought that the war would end  

Sankar Raman

When the War Comes

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, everything changed for Natalia Dychko. As a child in Kyiv, she had never imagined that her country, Ukraine, would not always  

Sankar Raman

The Search for a New Home

After 11 years apart, Pyae Sone Aung finally has hopes of reuniting with his wife and son. Originally from a small town in Myanmar, Aung has gone from country  

There is No Peace in Kunar Valley

As a boy growing up in a remote valley near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Nasirullah was fascinated by the US soldiers who came to fight the Taliban  

Sankar Raman

Songs that Help us Cope with War

Inna Kovtun was lying in her bed in Kyiv at 11 p.m. on Feb. 23, 2022, talking on the phone with the general director of her orchestra. She told him […]

Sankar Raman

Pioneering Pilot Breaks Barriers

As a young woman growing up in a conservative society, Safia Ferozi overcame intense expectations and restrictions placed on women  

Sankar Raman

Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling

The Honorable Chanpone Sinlapasai does not know when she was born. Her Lao tribe did not document any life cycle events. For her American immigration paperwork, 

I’m Not Supposed to Be Here

Chanpone Sinlapasai was born in war-torn Laos and came to the US at age four. As a child acting as interpreter for her parents, she soon realized  

Sankar Raman

Call Me Dr. Olive Bukuru

When Olive Bukuru was six months old her and her family fled their home country of Burundi in search of a safe life. They ended up in a refugee camp 

Jim Lommasson

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.