Many Roads to Here

Introducing, The Immigrant Story Live, our new series that brings you voices from the stage. In 2019, the Immigrant Story began hosting live storytelling events in the Portland, Oregon area, bringing together musicians and storytellers from around the world for evenings of celebration and reflection. Every year, The Immigrant Story produces 2 new live events, and in the four years since its launch, has hosted 10 shows with 26 storytellers from 22 different countries. In our new series, we present selections from these events in themed, 45-minute episodes. 

In our first episode, you’ll hear from three storytellers, Mariamou Abdoulaye, Hussein Al-Baiaty, and Bernal Cruz. Each unearthed surprising versions of themselves when they faced the unexpected. 

Many Roads to Here is a production of The Immigrant Story. This episode was produced by Degen Larkin. Post production was done by Gregg Palmer. Original music was composed by Corey Larkin. Graphics for this episode were designed by Jacqueline Pagano. Our executive producer is Sankar Raman.

Thank you to the Beaverton Library and the St. Andrew Lutheran Church for letting us use your space for our live events. Many thanks to Alton Takiyama-Chung and Erin Briddick for coaching our fabulous storytellers. 

This episode is made possible by a generous contribution by the Zidell Family Foundation and the City of Beaverton.

For more stories, visit theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts. Check out our instagram @theimmigrantstory to learn more about the storytellers and view bonus content for this episode.

Raised in Yemen amidst intense civil turmoil, Ghassan bin Hammam made a life-changing decision to leave for the United States to start a new life with his family. Believing he had left behind the destruction and instability of Yemen, he was unaware that the very conflict he fled would indefinitely separate him from his new home.

This episode is part of the I Am an American series, generously funded by Anne Naito-Campbell. For more episodes in the series, please visit our website. 

This episode was produced by Natalia Lopez and with audio editing and post production by Gregg Palmer. The original interview was conducted by our executive producer, Sankar Raman, in March of 2022. Special thanks to Nancy Dollahite for helping with the episode. 

Many thanks to St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon for the use of their space.

For more stories, visit theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts.

When Olive Bukuru was six months old her and her family fled their home country of Burundi in search of a safe life. They ended up in a refugee camp in Tanzania where Olive fell in love with learning and became determined to pursue her education, something that was not encouraged for girls in the area.

Many Roads to Here is a production of The Immigrant Story.

This episode was produced by Emily Ker with audio editing and post production done by Gregg Palmer. The original interview was conducted by our executive producer Sankar Raman in March 2023. 

Thank you to St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon for the use of their space to record the interview.

This program was funded through a generous contribution from Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation. 

For more stories, visit theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts.

Panelists explored their experiences as Asian American women, offering personal reflections  as well as highlighting current xenophobia and intolerance against  Asian Americans in Oregon and across the United States. Each of the speakers is leading community efforts to empower diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities statewide. This episode was arranged in conjunction with the exhibition, I Am An American, that was on view at the Oregon Historical Society.

Esteemed panelists include:

Dr. Jane Vogel Mantiri is a retired psychologist who specialized in trauma, actor, and activist. She is the founder of Advance Gender Equity in the Arts (AGE), a Portland-based nonprofit that empowers marginalized genders in the arts leading with race.

Attorney Liani Reeves is President at Bullard Law. She is a former General Counsel for the Governor of Oregon and the former president of the Oregon State Bar, the first Asian American and first woman of color to hold that position. She is a Korean adoptee.

Dr. Jennifer Fang is a historian, researcher, Director of Interpretation & Community Engagement at Pittock Mansion, and an adjunct professor at the University of Portland, where she teaches Modern U.S. History and Asian American History. 

Moderator: Dr. Patti Duncan is an associate professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Oregon State University, specializing in women of color feminisms and transnational feminisms. She is the editor of the scholarly journal, Feminist Formations, and the author of Tell This Silence: Asian American Women Writers and the Politics of Speech.

Many Roads to Here is a production of The Immigrant Story. Many thanks to all of these panelists for their time and storytelling. Special thanks to the Oregon Historical Society for organizing and hosting the live event - they continue to be an amazing partner with us here at The Immigrant Story. 

This episode is part of the I Am an American series, generously funded by Anne Naito-Campbell. It was produced as part of the Oregon Rises Above Hate Coalition.

This episode was produced by Caitlin Dwyer. Audio editing was done by Caitlin Dwyer, assisted by Gregg Palmer. Music was composed by Corey Larkin. Our executive producer is Sankar Raman.

For more stories, visit our website, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts

Ahmad Fanoos spent the first 57 years of his life searching for the freedom to play music. 

In Afghanistan, where singing and playing music were banned under the Taliban, Ahmad could not safely pursue his passion. Over time, music led him and his family across careers and borders. 

Between Taliban regimes, Ahmad became a guest star and judge for one of Afghanistan’s most popular TV music shows. He also inspired his own children to pursue music professionally — including his son Elham, who completed his master’s degree in 2021 at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. 

The music you hear in this episode was performed by Ahmad and Elham. The song is called “Ashkam Wale Ba Paye.'' You can listen to a live performance of this song here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmjbaa_XUHw&t=2s

Catch the Fanooses playing together and they are touring the US and their ensemble is called, “Fanoos Ensemble,” where they tell the story of Afghanistan's cultural history through a combination of Afghan folk and Western classical music. They will be playing at The Reser on May 20, 2023.   

Many Roads to Here is a production of The Immigrant Story.

This episode was produced by Emily Denny and with audio editing and post production by Gregg Palmer. The original interview was conducted by our executive producer, Sankar Raman, in Spring of 2022.

Thank you to St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon for the use of their space to record the interview.

This episode is made possible by the generous support by the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation

For more stories, visit theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts.

Franke Tokem Powell was born in Central Africa, in the city of Douala, Cameroon. Growing up in the 90’s, Franke did not feel that he’d ever be  accepted for who he was. At the age of 18, after years of repressing his queer identity and in the face of an unexpected loss, he was ready to leave home in search of community and acceptance.

This episode was produced by Natalia Lopez and with audio editing and post production by Todd Baize. The original interview was conducted by our executive producer, Sankar Raman, in March of 2022.

Many thanks to St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon for the use of their space.

This episode is made possible by the generous support of the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation  

For more episodes, https://theimmigrantstory.org/category/episode/ or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Many Roads to Here are expanding. We’re looking for radio producers, especially those from immigrant communities and communities of color, to join our team. We’re all-volunteer for now, but we’ve got dreams. Please email [email protected] for more information.

For more stories, visit theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts.

Janice Okamoto was just a baby, only a few months old, when she was sent to Minidoka with her family. Her father was a musician, and like all the other incarcerees, he was permitted to bring only what he could carry in two suitcases. This meant leaving behind everything in their house, including his beloved musical instruments. Janice’s father could not bear the thought of living without music, so he brought a harmonica in his pocket. After three years, the Okamoto family was released from the camp in northern Idaho. They were given a train ticket to Portland, and $20. Back in what had been their home city, the Okamotos found most places in Portland unwilling to rent to Japanese Americans. Eventually they ended up in Vanport. With the Vanport flood of 1948, Janice and her family once again lost everything—first when they were imprisoned, and later when they were flooded out.

Many Roads to Here is a production of The Immigrant Story. Many thanks to the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, who allowed us to record there. The original interview was conducted in December of 2021, by Stephanie Vallence and Sankar Raman. 

This episode is part of the I Am an American series, generously funded by Anne Naito-Campbell. For more episodes in the series, please visit our website. It was produced by Emily Ker with audio editing by Gregg Palmer. Our executive producer is Sankar Raman.

For more stories, visit theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts.

Vasyl Matsyuk, a Yale Divinity student, grew up in the fully Democratic Ukraine only to see it ravaged by a war with Russia that began a year ago in February.  The Russian conflict has long roots. Under the previous Soviet regime before Ukraine became a sovereign nation, Vasyl’s parents and grandparents had endured years of religious discrimination and hardship as Protestants. Now, Vasyl is grappling with how his religious studies inform the harsh realities facing relatives and friends as they defend themselves against bombs and missiles in a country he only knew as peaceful and free.

Many Roads to Here is a production of The Immigrant Story, a nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon. This episode was produced by Fran Silverman. Our audio editing was done by Todd Baize. The original interview was conducted by Fran Silverman at the New Haven Public Library, which has graciously provided space for our podcast work. Our executive producer is Sankar Raman.

This episode is made possible by a generous contribution from the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation.

For more stories, visit theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts.

Balamurali Balu, who goes by Bala, immigrated to the United States from Southern India. He completed his PhD at Georgia Tech.  Landed his dream job at Intel in Portland, Oregon. Married the woman he loved. And had two young daughters.

He was what his family called “settled”, living the life his parents had always wanted for him.

But six years into his career, he was burnt out and he missed doing the thing he loved most in this world. So, he quit.  

Today, Bala pursues music full-time where he scores large Tamil film industry projects and presents his new work at The Immigrant Story live storytelling events, constantly innovating new songs, new sounds, and new music. 

Many Roads to Here is a production of The Immigrant Story. This episode was produced by Emily Denny. Our audio editing and music was done by Bala. Post production was done by Gregg Palmer. The original interview was conducted in the summer of 2022 by our executive producer Sankar Raman.

Music that is featured in this episode was composed and arranged by Bala. His original album composed for I Am An American Live can be downloaded for free from here: https://theimmigrantstory.org/the-album/ and can be listened to from all major streaming services.

Listen to the piece used in this episode, Hit the Strings, performed live at I Am An American Live last Spring, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRMkLEqAeKM

Bala’s music will be featured again this year with his original music especially produced for our second edition of I Am American Live next spring. We invite you to join us on April 15th at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton. Tickets go on sale on February 15, 2023. Please stay tuned. 

Thanks to our partner, St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton for the use of their space to record the interview. This episode is made possible by a generous contribution by Oregon Cultural Trust.

For more stories, visit theimmigrantstory.org/manyroads, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts.

Mitzi Asai Loftus and her son Toby talk frankly about her memories of growing up in Hood River, Oregon; her childhood incarceration  in a Japanese-American internment camp; dating and racism; changing and reclaiming names; and what it means to grow up mixed-race. Please note this episode contains mentions of suicide as well as racial slurs against Asian-Americans.

Mitzi was born in Hood River, Oregon. Her parents, immigrants from Japan, owned orchards there. But when Mitzi was ten, she was forced from her home and taken to an internment camp in California and then in Wyoming, as part of the U.S. wartime incarceration of Japanese-Americans.

Many Roads to Here is a production of The Immigrant Story. Many thanks to Mitzi Asai and Toby Asai Loftus for their time and storytelling, and to St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Oregon for allowing us to record there. This episode is part of the I Am an American series, generously funded by Anne Naito-Campbell. It was produced as part of the Oregon Rises Above Hate Coalition.

This episode was produced by Caitlin Dwyer who also edited the audio. Post processing was done by Gregg Palmer. Music was composed by Corey Larkin. Our executive producer is the Sankar Raman.

For more stories, visit our website, listen live at prp.fm, or stream us wherever you get your podcasts.