Cultural and Personal Identity

Eight Years After Haiti’s Earthquake, A Reflection on Life in Port-au-Prince
Eight years have passed since the devastating earthquake shook Haiti on January 12, 2010. Today, we’re honoring the anniversary of Haiti’s earthquake by sharing excerpts from our book Lavil: Life, Love, and Death in Port-au-Prince. The following …


Razan Hussin: An Immigrant Student Inspired to Change Her Community through Oral History
“There are times that I feel uncomfortable because of how people look at me as I’m wearing my headscarf. I’ve experienced some racism on campus.”—Razan Hussin, 19 Razan is a native Arabic speaker from Jordan who …


New Americans Museum: Changing the Narrative on Immigration
The New Americans Museum (NAM) in San Diego, CA has embraced a critical responsibility in American history and culture: promoting understanding and interaction between immigrants and native-born Americans. In the era of Trump, this is …


Amplifying Indigenous Stories
What’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day? In 1992, the city of Berkeley, CA declared that the second Monday of October, also known as Columbus Day, would become a day of solidarity with Indigenous peoples around the globe. …


Alia Malek at Green Apple Books on the Park
EVENT Alia Malek on The Home That Was Our Country Monday, May 8, 2017  |  7:30pm – 9:00pm Green Apple Books on the Park (View map) 1231 9th Avenue San Francisco, CA 94122 Free Alia …


Q&A: Alia Malek on Syria, Narrative Journalism, and the Power of Making It Personal
Photo: Peter van Agtmael/Magnum Photos In her new book The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria, journalist Alia Malek (editor of Patriot Acts: Narratives of Post-9/11 Injustice) recounts her journey to reclaim and restore her …


Dispatch from the Field: The Latest on Current Projects
This summer, VOW’s editors have been making big strides on their oral history projects. (Thanks in no small part to everyone who supported the Seed the VOW Story Fund Campaign this past spring!) Here are the latest …