The Immigrant Story Live

September 10, 2022, 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Beaverton Welcoming Week

Stories have power, illuminating and igniting compassion and empathy within and among us.

In partnership with the City of Beaverton, as part of Welcoming Week 2022, and in the spirit of a welcoming and inclusive community, The Immigrant Story Live presents an evening of soulful music and moving storytelling by immigrants in our community. 

To kick off this year’s Welcoming Week celebration, we invite you to hear four compelling stories told — and lived — by men and women who made journeys from their homelands that were often arduous and challenging, only to create interesting and rewarding new lives here in greater Portland. 

Join us Saturday, September 10, 2022, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Alex L. Parks Performing Arts Center, located at Jesuit High School, 9000 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy., Portland, OR 97225. 

The Immigrant Story Live kicks off at 7 p.m. with a musical performance featuring FIKIRA, an eclectic five-piece ensemble, lead by Fiaindratovo Manavihare (Mimy) from Madagascar. The group will play original Afro-Jazz compositions based on Southern Madagascar “Banaike” rhythms blended with jazz harmonies and improvisations.

From 8-9:30 p.m., storytellers from Bosnia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran and Cameroon will share their stories about the social and political difficulties that caused them to leave their homelands, and the frequently dangerous journeys that brought them to the United States.

This is the fourth year that the Immigrant Story has been a part of Welcoming Week, which is designed to bring together immigrants, refugees, and U.S.-born residents to raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone to our communities. We have experienced the power of people coming together to continue to create and celebrate an inclusive and welcoming community where we all belong.

This is a free event. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., first come, first served. 

This event is made possible with the support of the City of Beaverton and is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Additional funding was provided by a grant from Oregon Humanities (OH), a statewide nonprofit organization and an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds OH’s grant program.

We strongly encourage wearing mask while seated in the auditorium.