resources for second-generation immigrants

TELLING A LIVING RELATIVE’S IMMIGRATION STORY

Interested in honoring a relative’s journey to the United States during their lifetime? We’ve crafted a series of interview questions to help you learn more about their experiences and tell their story.

Use these questions to guide a conversation with your parent, grandparent, or another living relative. You can take notes as they answer, or record the conversation with their permission.

From there, you can use their responses to write your relative’s story yourself, or submit the interview (audio files or written responses) to the Immigrant Hall of Honor and let an IHH storyteller help craft the story for you.

10 QUESTIONS TO HELP TELL THEIR STORY

  • Where did you grow up, and what do you remember most about your home and family?
  • What was everyday life like before you came to the United States?
  • What brought you to the United States?
  • What do you remember most about your journey?
  • What were your first impressions of the United States?
  • What was the biggest adjustment you had to make after arriving?
  • Did anyone help you as you built a new life here?
  • What traditions, foods, languages, or values from home have you carried with you?
  • What challenges did you face, and what are you most proud of overcoming or accomplishing?
  • What do you hope your children, grandchildren, or future generations will remember about your story?

Want to go deeper? These questions are just a starting point. Part 2 of our free immigration storytelling guidebook provides additional questions and tips for conducting a meaningful family history interview.

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what does their story mean to you?

SHARE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

Your relative’s immigration story is also part of your story. Once you’ve heard their experiences, take a moment to reflect on what their journey has meant for you and your family.

You might write about:

What you want future generations to know. What do you hope your children, grandchildren, or others will understand about your family’s story?

Why this story matters to you. What made you want to preserve your parent’s immigration story? Is there something you hope your family will remember?

Growing up between cultures. What was it like growing up as the child of an immigrant? Did you ever feel that you were living between two cultures?

What you inherited. What traditions, values, foods, language, or ways of life from your parent’s culture were part of your childhood? Which have stayed with you?

Your understanding of your family. How has your parent’s immigration story shaped the way you understand your family, your heritage or your own identity?

READY TO SHARE THEIR STORY?

HOW TO SHARE A LIVING RELATIVE’S STORY WITH IHH

There’s more than one way to share a living relative’s story with the Immigrant Hall of Honor. Whether you’ve already written your loved one’s story or are just beginning to piece it together, we’re here to help you bring it to life.

Option 1: You wrote your Living Relative’s story and are ready to share it with the Immigrant Hall of Honor


You can submit your existing story, research notes, or a combination of both via our freeform story submission pathway. We’ll review your materials and follow up if we need additional information.

Option 2: You Conducted the Interview. We’ll write the story.


Have you interviewed your living relative and gathered the details of their life? Share their answers in the form below, and one of our professional storytellers will work with you to shape them into a compelling 500–1,000-word narrative.

We’ll send the draft to the email address you provided when you submitted the form for review. You are in control of the final story. Add to it, take something out, correct anything that doesn’t feel right, or make any other changes you’d like. We’ll work with you until you’re happy with the story and ready to give your final approval for publication.

COMPLETE THE FORM

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Your Contact Info (For Follow-Up on Your Story)

Your Name(Required)
Please enter the name of the person who encouraged you to connect with us so we can thank them for the referral.

Consent

Consent to share a living relative's story(Required)
Signature(Required)

Tell Your Relative's Story

Their Name(Required)
These questions can’t capture everything that makes up a life. Is there something about your relative that you’d like us to know? Tell us anything we didn’t ask about that feels important to their life story. We’d also like to hear what you think of these questions. Is there a question you wish we had asked? Is there something you think we should change, add, or approach differently? Your feedback will help us make this experience better for future storytellers.

Supporting Materials

Drop files here or
Accepted file types: jpg, png, pdf, Max. file size: 5 MB, Max. files: 6.
    Family photos, heirlooms, etc. Only share images you are comfortable including, and please make sure you have permission to share photographs of other people, especially children.
    Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: mp3, m4a, Max. file size: 25 MB, Max. files: 5.
      You can record their responses and upload the audio files here in one recording or multiple shorter recordings.

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      Please let us know if you would be interested in purchasing what initially will be a virtual “brick” in our online Immigrant Path of Honor on the website. When we move forward with the building of our museum, we hope to showcase these honorees in that facility as well.

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