Migration & Displacement

From the Archives: Yogesh’s Story in Underground America
2019 marks 10 years for Voice of Witness as a nonprofit, and in celebration of this exciting milestone, we’re resurfacing powerful stories from every oral history book in our series. Though time has passed since these …


From the Archives: Rhonda Sylvester in Voices from the Storm
2019 marks 10 years for Voice of Witness as a nonprofit, and in celebration of this exciting milestone, we’re resurfacing powerful stories from every oral history book in our series. Though time has passed since …


From Solito to Solidarity
By Steven Mayers and Jonathan Freedman When we began interviewing youth refugees from Central America four and a half years ago, we never imagined that a caravan of Honduran refugees would arrive in Tijuana the …


Puerto Rico, One Year After María
It’s been one year since Hurricane María battered Puerto Rico, destroying thousands of homes, killing nearly 3,000 people, and leaving many across the island without electricity, access to clean drinking water, food, and medical care. …


Fighting Words: Stories from the New York Sanctuary Movement
by Jon Earle A bride and groom are married in chains. A mother prepares her daughters for life without her. Two prison friends sing, “Lord, give us a big heart to love, and a strong heart …


Inside an Immigrant Detention Facility
The topic of immigration has been a critical political issue since borders were built, yet immigrant voices continue to be excluded from these conversations and policymaking within the United States. In recent years, we’ve seen …


Nowhere to Turn: Hundreds of refugees stuck in Tijuana with no clear path forward
by Steven Mayers Crossing from San Ysidro into Mexico on foot, I don’t even need to show my passport. After walking down a hallway for a few minutes and across a footbridge, I am spit …


Summer Reading List from VOW
The Voice of Witness team has put together a short summer reading list, featuring a few personal recommendations from our staff. What do you plan to read this summer? Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing …