Immigrants Wake America's Podcast: Recent Episodes
Immigrants Wake America
Periodically in history, immigrant women have been the target of dehumanizing anti-immigrant rhetoric and violence. In response, we have created this podcast Immigrants Wake America, in partnership with the Tenement Museum in New York. Immigrants Wake America features storytellers who share stories about migration and the centrality of immigrant women in their lives. The podcast will be a living archive of stories that have not been heard before and serve as an intervention in the ways in which immigrant women’s (hi)stories are narrated and passed on. Hosts & Producers: Le Li & Shruti Jain, PhD students, Binghamton University. Executive Producers: Dr. Lisa Yun, Associate Professor, Binghamton University; Kathryn Lloyd, Tenement Museum, New York. Immigrants Wake America is supported by the HCI Public Humanities Grant from Humanities New York.
Immigrants Wake America is back with a new season titled “Hidden Heroes in a Small Town”. During this season we will get to know the staff and case workers at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, NY. A non-profit organization whose mission is to help refugees and immigrants start a new life while preserving their ethnic and cultural diversity. This six-episode installment showcases the amazing work and journeys of migration of the people “behind the scenes”.
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 is also the inspiration for the conceptualization of Season II!
This podcast is supported by Humanities New York, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Centre for Civic Engagement, Department of English, Asian and Asian American Studies, Institute for Asia and Asian Diasporas at Binghamton University. In partnership with the American Civic Association and the Tenement Museum.
For more information visit our Website: https://www.immigrantswakeamerica.com/
For more information about the America Civic Association visit: https://americancivic.com/
Instagram: @immigrantswakeamerica
X: @ImmigrantsWake
Immigrants Wake America is back with a new season titled “Hidden Heroes in a Small Town”. During this season we will get to know the staff and case workers at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, NY. A non-profit organization whose mission is to help refugees and immigrants start a new life while preserving their ethnic and cultural diversity. This six-episode installment showcases the amazing work and journeys of migration of the people “behind the scenes”.
Our guest today is Aye Aye Mar. Aye Aye was an immigration case worker at the ACA through 2024. In this episode, Aye Aye shares with us many aspects of her complex journey of migration from a refugee camp in Thailand to the US. She also talks about her work helping immigrants and refugees at the American Civic Association.
This podcast is supported by Humanities New York, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Centre for Civic Engagement, Department of English, Asian and Asian American Studies, Institute for Asia and Asian Diasporas at Binghamton University. In partnership with the American Civic Association and the Tenement Museum.
For more information visit our Website: https://www.immigrantswakeamerica.com/
For more information about the America Civic Association visit: https://americancivic.com/
Instagram: @immigrantswakeamerica
X: @ImmigrantsWake
Immigrants Wake America is back with a new season titled “Hidden Heroes in a Small Town”. During this season we will get to know the staff and case workers at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, NY. A non-profit organization whose mission is to help refugees and immigrants start a new life while preserving their ethnic and cultural diversity. This six-episode installment showcases the amazing work and journeys of migration of the people “behind the scenes”.
Edward Marte was a caseworker at the ACA until 2023, where he worked helping immigrants and refugees settle in Broome County. Edward, an immigrant himself, shares with us the difficulties he encountered as a young person in a new country, and the ways in which he tirelessly gives back to the community both in the US and in the Dominican Republic. Edward also speaks about his experience with the Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute, with which he has often collaborated in different charity and solidarity programs.
This podcast is supported by Humanities New York, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Centre for Civic Engagement, Department of English, Asian and Asian American Studies, Institute for Asia and Asian Diasporas at Binghamton University. In partnership with the American Civic Association and the Tenement Museum.
For more information visit our Website: https://www.immigrantswakeamerica.com/
For more information about the America Civic Association visit: https://americancivic.com/
Instagram: @immigrantswakeamerica
X: @ImmigrantsWake
Immigrants Wake America is back with a new season- “Hidden Heroes in a Small Town”. We continue our mission of creating space for immigrant and refugee storytelling, but this time we focus on the personal stories of immigration caseworkers and staff at the American Civic Association in upstate New York, founded in 1939. The staff works tirelessly to resettle refugees, asylees, and immigrants, and the ACA serves as a community home that is utilized by both newcomers and American citizens. Notably, the majority of the staff turn out to be immigrants themselves, or descendants of families who immigrated, with remarkable personal journeys across borders and cultures. Once outsiders, and in some ways still are, these immigrants refashioned their lives and creatively reimagined their possibilities by serving the civic and cultural needs of the local community. Our focus on the stories of the ACA is a testament to a living space that is largely hidden - a site of public trauma and multicultural resilience. The year 2024, when this season is released, is also the fifteenth anniversary of one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history, when thirteen people were shot dead at the ACA during a class on citizenship in 2009. By introducing ACA voices at this moment via a podcast, this season honors the resilience of a community and the people who serve it. Made possible by support from Humanities New York.
Our guest in this episode is Laila Hernandez, Deputy Director of the American Civic Association in Binghamton NY. Laila shares her journey as a remarkable woman wearing many hats - as an immigration caseworker accredited by the department of justice, as the chief mentor for her busy staff, as an educator for student interns, as a mother homeschooling her children, and more.
This podcast is supported by Humanities New York, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Centre for Civic Engagement, Department of English, Asian and Asian American Studies, Institute for Asia and Asian Diasporas at Binghamton University. In partnership with the American Civic Association and the Tenement Museum.
For more information visit our Website: https://www.immigrantswakeamerica.com/
For more information about the America Civic Association visit: https://americancivic.com/
Instagram: @immigrantswakeamerica
X: @ImmigrantsWake
Immigrants is back with a new season titled “Hidden Heroes in a Small Town”. During this season we will get to know the staff and case workers at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, NY. A non-profit organization whose mission is to help refugees and immigrants start a new life while preserving their ethnic and cultural diversity. This six-episode installment showcases the amazing work and journeys of migration of the people “behind the scenes”.
Hussein Adams is the director of the American Civic Association in Binghamton NY. Hussein gives an overview of the breadth of critical work that immigration caseworkers do for the local community and for new immigrants and refugees. He also narrates his personal journey of migration as a Muslim man through the Caribbean and North America, and especially, the impact of post 9/11 on him and his family. As a community leader and as a father, Hussein’s story touches on the complexity and richness of becoming American today.
This podcast is supported by Humanities New York, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Centre for Civic Engagement, Department of English, Asian and Asian American Studies, Institute for Asia and Asian Diasporas at Binghamton University.
For more information visit our Website: https://www.immigrantswakeamerica.com/
For more information about the America Civic Association visit: https://americancivic.com/
Instagram: @immigrantswakeamerica
X: @ImmigrantsWake
Immigrants Wake America is back with a new season titled “Hidden Heroes in a Small Town”. During this season we will get to know the staff and case workers at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, NY. The ACA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help refugees and immigrants start a new life while preserving their ethnic and cultural diversity. This six-episode installment showcases the amazing work and journeys of migration of the people “behind the scenes”.
This podcast is supported by Humanities New York, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Centre for Civic Engagement, Department of English, Asian and Asian American Studies, Institute for Asia and Asian Diasporas at Binghamton University.
For more information visit our Website: https://www.immigrantswakeamerica.com/
For more information about the America Civic Association visit: https://americancivic.com/
Instagram: @immigrantswakeamerica
X: @ImmigrantsWake
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:
https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/social-history-application
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:
https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/rice-and-daal
Theresa's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum:
https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/empanadas-1936
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:
https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/internal-medicine-sign
Max's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum:
https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/my-mother-s-manti-pot
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:https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/wwii-ration-cards-recipe
Kaylee's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum:https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/colombian-hot-chocolate-pot
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:
https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/empaako
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:
https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/box-of-mysteries-1984
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: https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/garden-of-life
Laura's story on Your Story, Our Story at the Tenement Museum, New York: https://yourstory.tenement.org/stories/photo-of-sauce-recipe
Periodically in history, immigrant women have been the target of dehumanizing anti-immigrant rhetoric and violence. In response, we have created this podcast Immigrants Wake America, in partnership with the Tenement Museum in New York.
In this episode, we have with us 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.
Our website: https://sites.google.com/view/immigrantswakeamerica/home