In this episode of Harrisonburg 360 titled “Home,” we had the privilege of interviewing David Figueroa, who is a junior at James Madison University. David is generation 1.5 because his parents relocated to the United States from Honduras. This podcast episode will highlight

Links:

“Temporary Protected Status.” USCIS, 19 Apr. 2022, https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status

This episode, Lost in Translation, was produced by Emily Killmon, Hannah Knick, Charlotte Lawrence-Hovey, and Alayna Saunders. Our narrator was Jaime Cañas. Lost in Translation covers Jaime’s experience as a generation 1.5 immigrant from El Salvador. Jaime immigrated in 2001 following an earthquake in El Salvador that allowed him and his family to stay using Temporary Protected Status. Jaime describes growing up managing the extra responsibility of being the family translator, being more independent scholastically, and finding people to help him through it all. We explore the themes of responsibility, support, and logistic obstacles as Jaime explains how he navigates life as an immigrant.

The information used in our literary discussion can be found here:

Nayeri, Dina. “The Ungrateful Refugee: We Have No Debt to Repay.” The Guardian, 4 Apr. 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/04/dina-nayeri-ungrateful-refugee

“Temporary Protected Status: An Overview | American Immigration Council.” American

“ Community Support for Migrants Navigating the US Immigration System.” American Immigrant Council, 26 Feb. 2021,

In this episode of Harrisonburg 360, MIXED, Izabella Pezza recounts her experience having immigrant parents, growing up and living as a mixed-race person, and her understanding of how her family's dynamics have shaped who she is. Izabella, a sophomore English major at JMU, has aspirations to be a Creative Writing professor. In combination with references to Izabella's Oral History interview, conducted by Emily Graff, our group made connections to We Came All The Way From Cuba So You Could Dress Like This? by Achy Obejas in our literary discussion. This

Link to short story discussed in episode:

Bibliography of Additional Relevant Information

In this episode of Harrisonburg360, our group discusses the experiences of two women as they immigrated to the United States in 2001. Paloma Saucedo immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico with her then-partner, while Jinky Knox immigrated by herself from the Philippines in order to continue a relationship with an American man she had met. Although Jinky and Paloma first arrived in different areas of the country, eventually they both settled in Harrisonburg, VA. This episode analyzes Jinky and Paloma’s initial perceptions of the United States and how those perceptions were challenged and changed by their experiences. Throughout this podcast, we compared and contrasted the immigration narratives from these two women in order to highlight the intensity of being exposed to an unfamiliar culture from another country. In conclusion, we highlight how the theme of community transcends both Paloma and Jinky’s stories, highlighting how cultural differences do not hold individuals back from seeking out and forming new connections.

Notes continued for those interested:

A reference to Valley Aids Network, as mentioned by Paloma: http://www.valleyaidsinfo.org/

A reference to the changing immigration laws for the year Paloma and Jinky migrated to the United States: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/post-911-policies-dramatically-alter-us-immigration-landscape

In a collaboration between Candy Foster, Anthony Salazar, Molly Boucher, and Rachel Hoffman, we present this episode, “Bravery Displaced.” When creating this podcast, we took into consideration a multitude of challenges that immigrants still face unfortunately, in today’s society. We examined specifically what caused each of our interview subjects to leave their home country to seek asylum in the United States, the impact of educational opportunities, and the importance of women’s rights. Our two subjects, Salwa Mahdi and Osman Rezain are both from Kurdistan region, which encompasses eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and Western Iran, as well as, smaller parts of northern Syria and Armenia. Osman is from Iran and Salwa is from Iraq. Our podcast will explore the courage and resilience of our two interview subjects as they fled their home countries of Iran and Iraq to seek political asylum in the United States.

Relevant material included in today’s podcast:

Bibliography:

The Ungrateful Refugee: ‘We Have No Debt to Repay’. 4 Apr. 2017, www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/04/dina-nayeri-ungrateful-refugee.

This episode was created in order to highlight the narratives of two immigrants from Vietnam and Mexico; Que Hang Pham and Willie Chavez. In this episode, we draw attention to Que Hang and Willie’s different experiences as emigrants, specifically noting Que Hang’s experiences navigating the American education system, as well as the educational experiences of Willie’s children. Referencing Dina Nayeri’s “The Ungrateful Refugee,” we hope to establish the differing experiences had by immigrants as they establish new lives in the United States and navigate the American education system.

“The American Dream” podcast episode was inspired by those who helped make it possible, specifically Que Hang Pham and Willie Chavez, Dr. Fagan, and the JMU libraries’ special collections and digital specialists. It was their guidance that gave us the privilege of sharing the voice of Que Hang Pham and her story. This episode was produced by Lizzy Kubica, Jasmine Frank, DJ Monsale, and Sean Walsh.

Que Hang is a Vietnamese immigrant who came to America with her family at the end of the Vietnam war. She was an 8 year old girl doing her best to transition into American life. Her and her family rebuilt their lives from the ground up. Que Hang utilized her new opportunities to seek out success in her education and adult life.

Bibliography

Nayeri, Dina. “The Ungrateful Refugee.” The Guardian, 4 April 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/04/dina-nayeri-ungrateful-refugee Accessed 23 April 2021.

Chavez, Willie, oral history conducted by Theresa Staropoli, 10 February 1993, The New Cultural Pluralism in the Shenandoah Valley, SdArch8, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

In this week’s episode, “Just Assimilate,” we will compare and contrast the story of two immigrants living in Harrisonburg at different times. We also make connections to work by Nicole Chung and an interview with Thu Huynh. This podcast episode features discussions of topics such as food availability, diversity, racial tension and discrimination.

Interviewee Biographies:

Mikey Riesenberg

Thu Huynh

References:

Music:

Producers:

Produced by: Elainah Elkins, Electra Ellis, Gabriela Powell, and Jordan ZappSummary: In this episode of Harrisonburg 360, the Female Gaze, we aim to give insight into the diversity of the female immigrant experience by highlighting two resilient women who immigrated to the United States- Lynn Buchanan from the Phillipines and Hiba Ali from Syria. Hiba is an immigrant from Syria who describes her experience coming to the U.S as a woman who had just gotten out of a domestic violence situation with her husband. Hiba also describes her strong connection with Syrian culture, with an intense urge to stay in touch with her roots even in a new country. While Lynn also had to find ways to become more independent after the death of her husband, she differs from Hiba in that in many ways, she chose to assimilate more to American culture. By sharing the stories of these women, we hope that we highlight not only the strength and connections of the female perspective and experience, but also the diversity and uniqueness among them.

Links for this episode:

For Lynn’s full interview: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/slalitv/16/ 

For more information about Syrian Culture: https://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Syria.html#ixzz6rI0arsra 

For more information about domestic violence: https://www.thehotline.org/stakeholders/domestic-violence-statistics/ 

For more information about assimilation: https://www.britannica.com/topic/assimilation-society

This episode of Harrisonburg 360, “Learning the Unofficial, Official Language of America,” discusses the expectations and troubles that immigrants in the United States face regarding learning English. We spoke with Ms. Melissa Menjivar-Fuentes in February of 2020, where she shared her story with us about her experiences as an immigrant in the Harrisonburg community. After speaking to her, we went back to the 1990s with the help of the James Madison University Libraries and Special Collections, taking a listen to two stories from Ms.Thu Huynh and Mr. and Mrs. Sasha and Tanya Reut. By looking at these different stories, this episode discusses the similarities and differences in learning English as an immigrant from immigrants in the Shenandoah Valley over time.

Ms. Melissa Menjivar-Fuentes is a 21-year old immigrant from El Salvador. She moved to the United States when she was a teenager, attending school at Harrisonburg High School. El Salvador has been in political turmoil since the El Salvador Civil War from 1980-1992. For more information on this, visit this link.

The interviews used from the 1990s are part of the JMU Special Collections and are a part of the New Cultural Pluralism in the Shenandoah Valley Project conducted by Theresa Staropoli, Burruss Intern in Carrier Library Special Collection. Ms. Thu Huynh is an immigrant from Vietnam who has lived in the Harrisonburg community since 1988. Mr. and Mrs. Sasha and Tanya Reut are immigrants from Ukraine. They immigrated to the Shenandoah Valley in 1992 right after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They were both engineers in Ukraine, and had two young children at the time of the interview. 

This episode was produced by host Anoush Stamm, interviewer Michelle Pineda-Hernandez, content producers Emma Knaus and Jay White, and audio editor Jake DeLaurier. Our project advisor is Dr. Allison Fagan, and we received much support from JMU Libraries staff members Kate Morris, Bodeene Amyot, Sarah Roth-Mullet, and Kirsten Mlodynia. 

Find us on social media!●Facebook @Harrisonburg360●Twitter  @360Harrisonburg●Instagram  @harrisonburg360

Sources:

Conrad, Lance. "Affection." ASCAP, n.d.

Fischer, Sean. "We are Millenials." Prod. SOCAN. Soundscape Audioworks, n.d.

Huynh, Thu. The New Cultural Pluralism in the Shenandoah Valley Theresa Staropoli. 17 March 1993.

Menjivar-Fuentes, Katherine. Interview. Michelle Pineda-Hernandez. 28 February 2020.

Reut, Sasha and Tanya Reut. The New Cultural Pluralism in the Shenandoah Valley Theresa Staropoli. 24 February 1993.

Santamaria Varela, René, et al. "El Salvador." Encylcopædia Britannica 13 February 2020.

Finding a Home : Education, Family and Identity

Produced by: Tyler Belcher, Camille Lynch, Leah Smith & Ena Guevara-Marquez

In this episode of Harrisonburg 360, JMU students Tyler Belcher, Camille Lynch, and Ena Guevara-Marquez interview GN. GN is an undocumented immigrant, whose family migrated from Mexico when he was two-years-old; they have been living in America since. GN is currently a high school senior who is also attending a local community college to secure an associate’s degree after graduation. He plans to attend college and study computer sciences, in order to be successful and ultimately provide for his family in the future. GN has been on a journey in making Harrisonburg, Virginia, and the U.S. feel like a home for himself and his family. This episode focuses on GN’s immigrant experience with education and finding his identity and place in society. The episode also compares GN’s story to an oral history by Salvador Romero, and his immigrant experiences as described in 2007. Both stories contain personal narratives on their experiences in Harrisonburg, VA, and highlight changes in the community. 

This story also compares with Jose Vargas’s personal essay, “My Life as anUndocumented Immigrant,” and conflict in considering himself American and calling it his country too. GN expresses he would not take anything away from his experience, he believes “what happened is for a reason” and “appreciates the struggles and successes.”

SOURCES

Marshall, Serena. “Obama Has Deported More People Than Any Other President.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 29 Aug. 2016, www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/obamas-deportation-policy-numbers/story?id=41715661.

Sasser, Mitchell. “Harrisonburg City Public Schools Embrace Diverse Population.” The Breeze, Breeze JMU, 6 Feb. 2019, www.breezejmu.org/news/harrisonburg-city-public-schools-embrace-diverse-population/Article_aba48c34-2a61-11e9-9207-6f0735eb283c.html.

Vargas, Jose Antonio. “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 June 2011,www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/magazine/my-life-as-an-undocumented-immigrant.html

“What Is It like to Grow up as an Undocumented Youth in America?” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 2013, www.apa.org/topics/immigration/undocumented-video.

MUSIC

Intro and Outro “We Are Millenials.” Sean Fischer www.audioblocks.com/stock-audio/we-are-millenials-hb4f1xgf_0hk4brm9cq.html

Transition“Affection”. Lance Conradwww.audioblocks.com/stock-audio/affection-bxz2g2oz8k69tat9h.html