Search

Records an interview with Hiba Ali, who was born in Paris, France, and moved with her family to Damascus, Syria at the age of four and a half. Relates her immigration to the United States in 2013 with her then-husband. Describes her childhood in the capital of Syria, Damascus, a city with a rich multicultural history, and her numerous travels, including trips to Paris and the United States. Discusses her cultural identity, Muslim background, and growing up in a Christian neighborhood. Comments on the generosity of spirit and openness of the Syrian people. Ali recounts her decision to relocate to the United States to pursue a Master's degree in pharmacology. Describes her decision to relocate from Fairfax to Harrisonburg and separate from her husband. Includes references to domestic violence. Among the topics discussed are community, assimilation, education, childhood, parents' background, experience as an elder child, career aspirations, women's empowerment, motherhood, maintenance of home culture, and immigration. Ali also comments on her experience reconciling the events in the Middle East with her personal memories.

Records the reminiscences of Michael Reisenberg, born in Seoul, South Korea, and adopted in 1986 by parents living in Grottoes, Virginia, at two months old. Describes Reisenberg's studies at Blue Ridge Community College and James Madison University, where he earned a degree in History. Discusses culinary arts and experience as a chef and owner of Mashita, a Korean restaurant in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Describes growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, working for various businesses, and the importance of work ethic. Among the topics discussed are culinary arts training and mentorship, cooking techniques, food preparation, childhood food experiences, Korean cuisine, and implicit bias. Reisenberg also discusses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Mashita, Mashita's community philanthropy efforts, and the challenges to restaurants posed by the Covid-19 pandemic affecting food supply chain shortages.

Records an interview with Paloma Saucedo, who emigrated to Greenville, Virginia from Saltillo, Mexico, with her then-husband at the age of twenty. Describes childhood, cultural traditions and protocols, and ancestors. Topics discussed include cultural adaptation, collectivist and individualist cultures, and xenophobia. Saucedo recounts the decision to emigrate to the United States and the experience of acclimating to rural Virginia. Discusses the birth of her daughter, the September 11 attacks, attitudes toward immigrants, and returning to Mexico. Describes moving to Waynesboro from Mexico and the birth of her second daughter. Includes references to experience as an undocumented immigrant and permanent resident. Saucedo also comments on her university experience, bilingual education, Blue Ridge Community College education, and administrative work at a hospital. Discusses move to Harrisonburg, political and civic engagement, naturalization, and citizenship. Describes experience as Executive Director of the Valley AIDS Network and innovating the food pantry to serve the community. Describes operating an inclusive childcare center, Arcoiris Day Care, that centers social and environmental justice and anti-racist education. Recounts planning Spanish language public programming, children's services, and collection development for the Waynesboro Public Library. Describes community organizing in Harrisonburg and running for Harrisonburg City Council in 2018. Discusses gender identity, perspectives on early childhood education, teaching English in Mexico, and community.

Records an interview with Que Hang Pham, whose family resettled in the United States following the fall of Saigon (now known as Ho Chi Minh City) to the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong in April 1975. Hang Pham, who was eight years old, recounts the dangerous evacuation journey by sea from Vietnam to Hong Kong, time spent in refugee camps in Hong Kong and Arkansas, and eventual resettlement in Richmond, Virginia. Topics discussed include second language acquisition, elementary education, parents' graduate education and teaching careers, scholarships awarded at Virginia Commonwealth University, the value of education, upbringing, cultural adaptation, and traditional Vietnamese foodways and lifeways. Describes travels, fluency in Vietnamese, English, and Spanish, a degree in Business Information Systems, and work for IBM and the Department of Transportation. Includes references to the impact of cultural heritage on identity and self-formation.

Records the reminiscences of Salwa Mahdi, a refugee from Iraqi Kurdistan. Describes fleeing Saddam Hussein's forces in October 1996 at the age of 31 with her brother due to her work with an organization associated with the United States. Details her experience leaving family behind, the journey from Zakho to Turkey, five months spent in a refugee camp in Guam, seeking asylum in the United States, and her first residence in the United States in Erie, Pennsylvania. Describes her family and their support of women's education. Discusses her degree in business with a focus on statistics from a university in Iraq. Mahdi describes her assimilation into American society and life in Harrisonburg. Topics discussed include women's rights, education, the Covid-19 pandemic, multilingualism, asylum-seeking, and Iraqi Kurdish resettlement. Recounts learning English as a foreign language and fluency in Kurdish and Arabic. Discusses her multiple careers in Harrisonburg as an interpreter, hairstylist, and business owner. Recounts explosion caused by a natural gas leak at Miller Circle in Harrisonburg, Virginia on October 17, 2020, which decimated Naza Salon and Barber Shop. Mahdi also comments on her dream to become a math teacher and discusses steps to achieve that goal.