immigration

Oral History Projects from our 2018-19 Germanacos Fellows
Since 2015, the VOW Education Program’s Sharing History Initiative has supported passionate and underfunded teachers, storytellers, and community leaders in bringing social justice-based storytelling into their communities. In summer of 2016, the VOW Education Program …


Art and Activism at the El Paso Border
by Ela Banerjee “Thank you for joining us on this glorious day for America!” Hearing these words from our pilot, Solito, Solita narrator Gabriel Mendez and I both stiffened and shared an uncomfortable glance. It’s true that …


Summer Reading List: Our Favorites for 2019
What are you reading this summer? The VOW staff put together a summer reading list of some of our favorites! 1. A sweeping history–and counter-narrative–of Native American life from the Wounded Knee massacre to the …


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 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 …


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 …