Every week, the AWM is excited to bring you stories written by our visitors in our Story of the Day exhibit, which features typewriters that visitors can interact with directly, or our newest temporary exhibit, My America: Immigrant and Refugee Writers Today. Check back weekly for new stories, and visit My-America.org to see a virtual version of the exhibit, share your story, and possibly be featured here!
Part of our newest temporary exhibit features an interactive station that allowed visitors to write their family’s story on a luggage tag and stamp it with the reason their family came to the United States or how they’ve moved within the country, whether it was Family, Refuge, by Force, for Freedom or Opportunity, or a different reason. Below are four stories shared in the exhibit, which opened to the public November 21, 2019. Visit My-America.org or comment below to share your family’s immigration (or migration) story.
“One of my great-great grandmas came from Germany & changed her last name to be more American & the other came from Mexico. She had 7 children & having an entire orange to ones self was a treat/luxury.”
02 Jan 2020
“Koreans came in the 1980s to seek opportunities after living impoverished for almost 20 years. They lived in NYC tryna find a job. My grandpa died living as a laundry cleaner. My dad works in a grocery store to support his brother’s dream as an IT man. My dad wanted to be a scientist. He loved the ocean. His dreams are now his children to be happy.
2/1/2020
“My father is a jeweler. He started that career when he was 13, apprenticing in Taiwan. When he was married with my just pregnant mom, they came to NY. My brother was born and I followed 2 yrs later. He worked in the city while my mom stayed home. Their blood, sweat and overwhelming sense of duty paved my brother and I’s path for opportunity.
1/23/20
Joyse L
“I survived six wars before I could make it to the land of freedom (U.S.A.)
Khalid Alfarhan
American from an Iraqi origin”
1/18/20