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 with Victoria Truong
This interview between Victoria Truong and Kaitlyn Kim explore Truong’s personal experiences and perspectives on immigration, highlighting the…
Interview with Vasanthi Kandsamy
This interview between Bala Govindaraju and Vasanthi Kandsamy discusses Vasanthi’s experience growing up in India and migration to the United States.…
Interview with Oleg Obolensky
This interview between Claire O’Donnell and Oleg Obolensky discusses Oleg’s journey from Russia to the United States in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to…
Interview with Marta Woodward
This interview between Maggie Welsh and Marta Woodward looks at why she came to the United States and her thoughts of the United States when she got…
Interview with Bob (Pseudonym)
This interview transcript between Neil Vu and Bob [pseudonym] shares his immigrant story from his former country to U.S. migration. His immigrant…