Season 1

Periodically in history, immigrant women have been the target of dehumanizing anti-immigrant rhetoric and violence. In response, we created this podcast Immigrants Wake America, which features storytellers speaking about migration, family, work, and often, about the centrality of immigrant women in their lives.

Storytelling allows us to find similarities and differences between ourselves and others, thus offering a humanizing counterpart to harmful narratives. This podcast is a growing archive of stories that have not been heard before, and we hope it will inspire you to have conversations about your own family’s history of migration, whether from recent history or from long ago.

Inspired by the "Your Story Our Story" digital archive at the Tenement Museum (NYC), this podcast is also supported by grants from Humanities New York.

Episode 1 Introductory Episode

Episode 1 "Introductory Episode"

Meet Kathryn Lloyd, Director of Programs at the Tenement Museum, New York, and Dr. Lisa Yun, Associate Professor of English at Binghamton University–SUNY.

Kat and Lisa share with us their personal stories of immigration and migration. We also discuss the Tenement Museum’s digital archive Your Story Our Story and talk about the scope of this podcast.

Episode 2 Multicultural in America

Today our guests are Jim Holley and Laura D’Angelo. Jim worked as a librarian in Broome County, Binghamton, NY for over 50 years and is currently a yoga teacher at Binghamton University. Laura was a Binghamton University student and is now working in New York. Jim and Laura talk about their grandparents and their own personal stories around migration.

Jim's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York: yourstory.tenement.org/stories/garden-of-life

Laura's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York: yourstory.tenement.org/stories/photo-of-sauce-recipe

Episode 3 The Box of Herstory

Our guest for this episode is Alison Wang. Alison was a Binghamton University student and is now a registered nurse in New York. In this episode, Alison talks about her family and personal stories around migration. She tells us the story of how she found a box of letters while cleaning her closet, and how the letters and the conversations that ensued had an impact on her identity.

Alison's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York: yourstory.tenement.org/stories/box-of-mysteries-1984

Episode 4 Women Win the Bread (Special Episode)

This special episode featuring Goretti Mugambwa, Immigrant Case Manager at the American Civic Association, Binghamton, NY is hosted by Dr. Lisa Yun, Associate Professor at Binghamton University–SUNY.

Goretti shares with us her arduous and inspiring journey of migration and re-migration. She also sheds light on the variety of struggles immigrant women go through when they move to America.

Goretti's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York: yourstory.tenement.org/stories/empaako

Episode 5 Bond With Our Immigrant Mothers

Today our guests are Priscilla Martel and Kaylee Sanabria. Priscilla is a flavor maven, chef, and food consultant living in Connecticut. She is also a successful cookbook author and recipe developer. Kaylee was a Binghamton University student and is now working in the corporate fashion industry in New York.

Priscilla and Kaylee talk about how the different objects that get passed on form intergenerational bonds among women. They share the role that their grandmothers and mothers play in their lives, and also discuss the pitfalls of mythologizing the grandmother figure in immigrant history.

Priscilla's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York:

yourstory.tenement.org/stories/wwii-ration-cards-recipe

Kaylee's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York:

yourstory.tenement.org/stories/colombian-hot-chocolate-pot

Episode 6 The Gift and Burden of Tradition

Our guests today are Kojo Senoo and Max Kurant. Kojo was a student at Binghamton University and currently works as a photographer in New York City and at the Tenement Museum. Max is a student at Binghamton University who is actively involved in work related to community engagement.

Kojo and Max talk about how they perceive their personal identity, their relationship with their families, and the conflicts or contradictions they negotiate within their families and in the world at large.

Kojo's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York:

yourstory.tenement.org/stories/internal-medicine-sign

Max's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York:

yourstory.tenement.org/stories/my-mother-s-manti-pot

Episode 7 Cooking Bonds: Food and Intergenerational Belonging

Our guests today are Phariha Rahman and Theresa Alarcon. Both Phariha and Theresa have been Binghamton University students and involved in community engagement.

Phariha and Theresa talk about the memories of their grandmothers and the complications of stereotypes about immigrants and their descendants. They also discuss how the bonds and values constructed around food influence their sense of self and belonging.

Phariha's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York:

yourstory.tenement.org/stories/rice-and-daal

Theresa's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York:

yourstory.tenement.org/stories/empanadas-1936

Episode 8 Finding Our Grandmother in the Records

Our guests today are Nicole Perkins and Tori Atkins. Nicole and Tori are cousins who have been trying to trace their grandmother’s life and history of immigration from Italy to the United States. In this episode, we see a unique blend of storytelling across generations.

Nicole's story in Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York: yourstory.tenement.org/stories/social-history-application