In 2012, the Center for the History of the New America (now the Center for Global Migration Studies) established the Archive of Immigrant Voices to collect stories of the experience of migration. The purpose of the archive is to create, accumulate, and preserve a repository of memories that will not only reveal living history and features of the recent past, but will also document the fine lines of social change that might be otherwise ignored or lost to history. These stories will provide the basis for understanding how newcomers adapt to challenges and successes. The Archive unites the Center's mission to advance scholarship and teaching while enhancing the Center's connection to migrant communities by capturing, recording, and preserving the experience of migration, dislocation, and community formation as immigrants, asylum-seekers, refugees, and other newcomers themselves understood it. In addition to housing these oral interviews, the Archive also contains further information on the history of immigration, educator resources, and tools for conducting oral histories.
Interviews represent a way to capture and preserve the stories of recent immigrants to the United States as a source for scholars, a classroom tool for teachers, and a resource enabling immigrants themselves to share their experiences and memories.
If you would like to donate your stories to the Archive, please contact us at globalmigration@umd.edu.
Featured Item
Interview of Kul Sandhu
Use this link to view the video of the interview. This interview between Harshaan Grewal and Kul Sandhu discusses Kul’s immigration from India to the…
Featured Collection
African and African Diaspora Immigrant Oral Histories
This collection contains oral histories of migrants from Africa and the African Diaspora (drawn largely from the Caribbean, Central America, and South…
Recently Added Items
Interview of Jeannette Gasca
This interview between Diego Plazas and Jeannette Gasca discusses Jeannette’s experience immigration from Columbia to the US in the 90s amidst a civil…
Interview of Keith Lobo
This interview is between Will Lobo and Keith Lobo. It explores Keith’s immigration from Pakistan to the US as a student and how he adapted to…
Interview of Betty Simarmata
This interview between Duany Philip and Betty Simarmata goes into the
experiences of Betty, an Indonesian immigrant that has lived in the United…
Interview of Long Van Le and Tuyet Phoung Thi Ha
Presented here are the transcripts of two interviews. The first is between David Le and his father Long Van Le and the second is between David Le and…
Interview of Zheng Gu
This interview between Wuyang Zhao and Zheng Gu explores Zheng Gu's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from China. Zheng Gu is a Chinese…