Divided Families Podcast

In this episode, Paul speaks with Oleksandr Shyn, founder of Ukrainian Voices, which works on raising awareness and building solidarity in Taiwan about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has separated countless families such as Olek's. A fourth-generation descendant of Soviet Koreans who were deported by Stalin to Central Asia, Olek also discusses his family history and the stories of Korean diaspora in former Soviet states, including issues of language, identity, and addressing ongoing legacies of imperialism. You can follow Oleksandr Ukrainian Voices Taiwan on social media at @olekshyn and @ukrainianvoices.tw. This episode was recorded on June 12, 2023 and edited by Malia Lukomski.

This episode was recorded at the very beginning of creating this podcast, all the way back in January 2020, right before the pandemic. We had the opportunity to ground our podcast in its roots by speaking with Dr. Jason Ahn, who conceived of the Divided Families Film and helped start Divided Families USA. Listen to Eugene's conversation with Jason to learn about what inspired him to advocate on behalf of families separated due to the Korean War, how he managed the project while pursuing a dual degree graduate program, and how the way we see the world ultimately comes down to a simple matter of perspective. The full Divided Families Film can be viewed for free on Youtube (https://youtu.be/u670xNcC2Is), and you can learn more about Divided Families USA at www.dfusa.org. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, Eugene speaks with Professor Ndjuoh MehChu, an Associate Professor of Law at Seton Hall Law, about his article, "Help Me to Find My Children: A Thirteenth Amendment Challenge to Family Separation," published in the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties. Eugene's recent student Note titled "Recognizing the Right to Family Unity in Immigration Law" can be found here: https://michiganlawreview.org/journal/recognizing-the-right-to-family-unity-in-immigration-law/

In this episode, Katherine speaks with Tatiana Kim, who grew up on the island of Sakhalin in Russia. Sakhalin, which is just north of Japan and east of mainland Russia, has been the subject of (and subjected to) several international conflicts. Tatiana describes the mix of Korean, Russian, and Japanese culture and language that makes it unique and results from a history of forced migration and government neglect. Listen to Hometown Village, the episode of 99% Invisible produced by Tatiana: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/hometown-village/ Note: Katherine is an employee of Stitcher and SiriusXM, which also produces 99% Invisible. This interview was recorded prior to her hiring and her emphatic recommendation of Tatiana's episode is independent of her employment with the company. This episode was edited by Zo Bailly and produced with the Citizen Diplomacy and Action Fund project, "Stories of Family Separation: Oral Histories of the Cold War."

Sera Koulabdara is the Executive Director of Legacies of War. In this episode, Eugene sits down with Sera in the beginning of a three part series with Legacies of War to provide some background on the Laos bombings conducted during the American "Secret War" on Laos and how it resulted in family separation, both for Sera's family and others. Today, bombs remain in Laos in the form of unexploded ordnances (UXOs), which continues to pose a safety risk and makes much of the land in Laos unusable. For those interested in advocating for the removal of these bombs and providing victim assistance, here is a list of opportunities: 1. Write to Congress in support of UXO clearance, de-mining, mine risk education, and victim assistance in Southeast Asia. Legacies of War aims to send 6,000 letters to Congress from September 12-16! Together, let's raise our voices and make sure Congress knows where we stand on this important issue. Your actions will save lives. It takes 10 seconds or less to write to Congress by clicking this link: action.halousa.org/campaign/41982/ 2. Write to your representatives to join the UXO de-mining caucus -- you can receive a template letter to fill out by emailing Legacies of War at www.legaciesofwar.org/who-we-are or us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com 3. Legacies of War is currently seeking endorsements for a new bill (www.legaciesofwar.org/advocacy) that will guarantee funding for the next 5 years at the $100m mark for Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. This bill is co-sponsored by Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas. To endorse the bill, follow this link: tinyurl.com/mrxd2jkf For more on Legacies of War: https://www.legaciesofwar.org/ This episode was produced with the Citizen Diplomacy and Action Fund project, "Stories of Family Separation: Oral Histories of the Cold War."

Sera Koulabdara is the Executive Director of Legacies of War. In this episode, Eugene sits down with Sera in the beginning of a three part series with Legacies of War to provide some background on the Laos bombings conducted during the American "Secret War" on Laos and how it resulted in family separation, both for Sera's family and others. Today, bombs remain in Laos in the form of unexploded ordnances (UXOs), which continues to pose a safety risk and makes much of the land in Laos unusable. For those interested in advocating for the removal of these bombs and providing victim assistance, here is a list of opportunities: 1. Write to Congress in support of UXO clearance, de-mining, mine risk education, and victim assistance in Southeast Asia. Legacies of War aims to send 6,000 letters to Congress from September 12-16! Together, let's raise our voices and make sure Congress knows where we stand on this important issue. Your actions will save lives. It takes 10 seconds or less to write to Congress by clicking this link: https://action.halousa.org/campaign/41982/ 2. Write to your representatives to join the UXO de-mining caucus -- you can receive a template letter to fill out by emailing Legacies of War at https://www.legaciesofwar.org/who-we-are or us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com 3. Legacies of War is currently seeking endorsements for a new bill (https://www.legaciesofwar.org/advocacy) that will guarantee funding for the next 5 years at the $100m mark for Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. This bill is co-sponsored by Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas. To endorse the bill, follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/mrxd2jkf This episode was produced with the Citizen Diplomacy and Action Fund project, "Stories of Family Separation: Oral Histories of the Cold War."

Kham Moua is the Director of National Policy at Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), and in today's episode, he chats with Mai Tong Yang about about the swinging impact of American immigration policies on families who moved from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam to the U.S. in the latter part of the 1900's, many of whom arrived as refugees. To this day, numerous Asian Americans have been forced to repatriate to the countries they were born in, even those who have grown up in the U.S. and may not speak the language of the nations they're sent to. National immigration policy and changing administrations have had a huge impact on the lives of these families. Learn more about SEARAC: https://www.searac.org/ This episode was edited by Katherine Moncure.

"In Northern Ireland terms, denomination dictates identity." In this episode, Paul speaks with Paul McLaughlin, Director of Development at Northern Ireland Mixed Marriage Association, about the long history of mixed marriages in Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland one in five marriages are mixed, but inter-church relationships are still regarded with suspicion and considered a betrayal against one's religious identity. In their chat, Paul and Paul reflect on the role that young people and education has in a country with deep religious divides and how the growing number of mixed marriages show hope for the future. Learn more about NIMMA: http://www.nimma.org.uk/ info@nimma.org.uk Paul McLaughlin's book, "Mixed Emotion: Real Stories of Mixed Marriage": https://sharedfuture.news/mixed-emotions-introduction/ Recommended Viewing and Listening: Derry Girls (Series on Netflix) Belfast (movie) 99 Percent Invisible, Peace Lines (podcast) https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/peace-lines/ full quote from above: Paul McLaughlin [On describing mixed marriages]: "It should really be described as an inter-church marriage. But sadly in Northern Ireland terms, denomination dictates identity, with most Protestants regarding themselves as British and most Roman Catholics regarding themselves as Irish." This episode was edited by Helen Packer.

In this episode, Eugene and Paul look back on the Divided Families Podcast, two years later. The two also reflect on 2021, the current status of the Divided Families Podcast, and plans for producing Season 3 in 2022. Thank you so much to everyone who donated so far to our fundraiser, and we would appreciate any additional support for as long as our fundraiser is live: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-divided-families-podcast?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast. You can also contact us with any questions or suggestions for Season 3 at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com or on any of our social media pages.

Halfway through his ten-year ban from the United States, Adam Crapser has been thrust into public attention again with the release of Justin Chon's movie "Blue Bayou." The film has striking similarities to Adam's own life story, blasphemed as a heartfelt tragedy of Adam's personal trauma. In this episode, Adam sits down with DFP team member Mailé to talk about Adam's story of family separation and the oversight of non-adoptees surrounding the realities and trauma of adoption. Adam talks candidly about being deported to Korea, and how he's making the best of his situation by using his platform to call for change. Resources mentioned in the episode: https://nakasec.org/ https://adopteesforjustice.org/ Adoptee Citizenship Act 2021: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/967 Why Do People Keep Finding Their Lives Onscreen Without Their Consent? by Peter Kim George: https://hyperallergic.com/683606/blue-bayou-controversy/ This episode was edited by Mailé Nguyen.

"Kill the Indian, save the man" was a mantra propagated by General Richard H. Pratt, who famously established a model for Native Residential Schools that tore Native children away from their families and cultures. Brayden Sonny White is Kanien'kehá:ka from the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, and member of the Bear Clan. He is an advocate for suicide prevention and mental health resources for Native youth. He was named a Champion for Change in 2016 by the Center for Native American Youth. In this episode, Brayden and Paul talk about the repercussions and intergenerational trauma passed down as a result of Residential Schools. Brayden shares more on the forced adoption of Native children—known as the Sixties Scoop—and the PTSD resulting from discriminatory policies and involuntary family separation in the US and Canada. Read "Our Long History of Family Separation" written by Brayden Sonny White: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/our-long-history-of-family-separation/ Read more about the 751 Unmarked Graves discovered at a residential school in Canada in 2021: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57592243 Movies mentioned in episode: Indian Horse (2017) Wind River (2017) Additional Resources: Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Metis, and Inuit issues in Canada - Chelsea Vowel The Marrow Thieves - Cherie Dimaline Boarding School Seasons - Brenda J. Child Custer Died for Your Sings - Vine Deloria Jr. Red Alert! - Daniel Wildcat Our Live Among the Iroquois Indians - Harriet S. Caswell Indigenous Nationhood - Pamela Palmater Indian Giver: How Native Americans Transformed the World - Jack Weatherford Indian Resilience and Rebuilding: Indigenous Nations in the Modern American West - Donald L. Fixico This episode was edited by Helen Packer.

Liberty in North Korea, or LiNK, is a nonprofit that primarily works to help North Korean refugees hiding in China resettle in South Korea or the United States. The organization has many high school and college chapters, and seeks to raise awareness about human rights through North Korean issues. In this episode, Paul, a former member of LiNK himself, speaks with Hannah Song, President and CEO of LiNK. The two talk about the work LiNK does, stories of particular families' journeys, and how you can get involved. To learn more, you can find their website here: https://www.libertyinnorthkorea.org/ The videos mentioned in this episode can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhD2SabYvu0&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvsqpwI_IfU For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, Paul speaks with Tereza Lee, a pianist, activist, and original Dreamer. Tereza tells the story of how she was born in Brazil to South Korean immigrants but later moved to Chicago, where she was undocumented. The two talk about how not only Tereza's life, but those of many others changed when her music teacher reached out to Senator Richard Durbin to see if anything could be done about her situation. This eventually led Senator Durbin to co-sponsor the 2001 DREAM Act, which was disrupted by the 9/11 attacks. To watch the Asian Americans PBS Documentary (in which Tereza is featured), click here: https://www.pbs.org/show/asian-americans/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, Eugene interviews Rachelle Barbour, an assistant federal defender for the Office of the Federal Defender of the Eastern District of California. She is an advocate for Omar Ameen, an Iraqi refugee accused of being an ISIS commander and murdering a police officer in Iraq. On April 21, 2021, a federal judge ruled this was physically impossible because Ameen was not in Iraq at the time of the alleged murder. However, Ameen nonetheless remains detained in an ICE facility and has been held in detention for over 1000 days. Eugene and Rachelle discuss federal immigration cases and the mechanisms that can keep someone locked up and separated from their family. In January of 2020, Ben Taub wrote a piece for the New Yorker that outlines how Ameen landed in prison: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/01/27/the-fight-to-save-an-innocent-refugee-from-almost-certain-death Watch Vice's video coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r1ngPeyv1g Take Action: https://freeomarameen.com/ This episode was edited by Eugene Lee.

Ioanida Costache is an ethnomusicology PhD student at Stanford University who is Romani-American and activist. In this episode, Eugene speaks with Ioanida, a friend from college, about Romani-American identity, the erasure of the Roma as victims of the Holocaust, and the continued separation of Roma families in modern day America. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

The Trust for Social Achievement is an organization based in Bulgaria dedicated to helping people reach their full potential. Its staff particularly focus on aiding the Roma community, of which 72% live below the poverty line. In this episode, Eugene speaks with Maria Metodieva, the Institutional Development Officer, and Ognyan Isaev, the Educational Achievement Official, about who the Roma people are, and the particular challenges facing their community both at home in Bulgaria and abroad. Learn more about the Trust for Social Achievement here: https://socialachievement.org/en/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Hollis Gentry is a genealogy specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture Library. Following DeNeen Brown's overview of family separation and slavery in our previous episode, Hollis shares her personal quest to reconnect her family through genealogical research. For information on the Museum of African American History & Culture Library, see here: https://nmaahc.si.edu/ To become a Smithsonian Digital Volunteer, see here: https://transcription.si.edu/ This episode was edited by Maggie Deagon.

Professor DeNeen Brown is an award-winning journalist for The Washington Post and an associate professor at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. In this episode, Paul and Professor Brown discuss the legacy of American slavery and family separation, and in particular, the way generational trauma connects the past to today. Watch the trailer for Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer, DeNeen Brown's documentary: https://youtu.be/rFR0wUtcrZU Buy How to Be an Antiracist from your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525509288 Buy Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents from your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593230251 Transcript: https://dividedfamiliespodcast.medium.com/american-slaverys-legacy-of-family-separation-with-deneen-brown-95e9c4747c2b This episode was edited by Katherine Moncure.

Thanhha Lai is Vietnam-born American author perhaps best known for her debut novel, "Inside Out and Back Again," which won the Newbery Honor and the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. In this upbeat episode, Eugene and Thanhha talk about her young adult novel, "Butterfly Yellow," and how we should allow complexity in telling the stories of refugees. Transcript: https://dividedfamiliespodcast.medium.com/allowing-complexity-in-refugee-narratives-with-thanhha-lai-52ea6a61518f For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Nicole Chung is a writer, the Editor-In-Chief of Catapult Magazine, and a Korean transracial adoptee, raised by a white family in Oregon. In her bestselling memoir, All You Can Ever Know, Nicole describes the process of searching for her Korean birth parents, which happened in tandem with the birth of her own child. In confronting her childhood and reevaluating the messages around adoption she had absorbed growing up, her memoir examines themes of belonging and connection. In this conversation, Eugene talks with Nicole about her changing understanding of family and whether it's possible to have closure on emotionally fraught experiences. They also discuss it means to publish one’s personal narrative for public consumption, where others can look to it for guidance and comfort but also pass judgement on the intimate emotions of an author’s life. Transcript: https://dividedfamiliespodcast.medium.com/writing-a-transracial-adoption-story-for-an-audience-with-nicole-chung-cb3ae8a06967 Buy All You Can Ever Know at your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781948226370 For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com This episode was edited by Katherine Moncure.

In this episode Eugene catches up with Tyler Rivera, a close friend who had recently returned from a five month fellowship conducting research regarding climate change in the Marshall Islands. Like many other island states, the Marshall Islands are at the frontlines of dealing with the consequences of rising sea levels. Listen to learn more about what it means to preserve your culture when the concept of land is so integral to it, and how, in the face of overwhelming odds, the Marshallese people are leading the fight against climate change. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com Transcript: https://medium.com/@dividedfamiliespodcast/ep-30-climate-change-and-the-marshall-islands-with-tyler-rivera-84cd1fb95ff1

Halmurat Uyghur is a Uyghur activist and physician based in Finland. In 2017, after his parents were sent to one of the Chinese government's "re-education camps" in Xinjiang, he began to campaign for Uyghur rights and was among the first to stand up and openly talk about his parents’ arbitrary detention. Halmurat has used social media to promote his cause through hashtag campaigns like #MeTooUyghur, which has created a platform for Uyghurs to document their own personal cases of missing family members and spread awareness. In this conversation from June 2020, Paul speaks with Halmurat about his search for his own parents and how it sparked his journey toward online grassroots activism for others in the Uyghur community whose families have been separated by the Chinese government's policies. Transcript: https://medium.com/@dividedfamiliespodcast/online-activism-in-the-uyghur-diaspora-with-halmurat-uyghur-7c37db62e114 Learn more about his organization at https://uyghuraid.org/ Follow Halmurat on Twitter @HUyghur For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com This episode was edited by Katherine Moncure.

Hanna Burdorf is a PhD candidate in Uyghur studies at Newcastle University. She has worked on the Xinjiang Victims Database, which aims to document ethnic-minority (namely Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Hui) who have been held at camps in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In this episode, Eugene asks Hanna about the general situation in Xinjiang and her experiences working on the issue in-person and from abroad. Xinjiang Victims Database: https://shahit.biz/eng/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com This episode was edited by Katherine Moncure.

Miki Dezaki is a recent graduate of the Graduate Program in Global Studies at Sophia University in Tokyo. He is also known as "Medamasensei" on Youtube, where he has made comedy videos and videos on social issues in Japan. In this episode, Paul speaks with Miki about Shusenjo, his directorial debut, and how the issue of comfort women is seen by different groups in Korea, Japan, and the US. He also presents invaluable insights into understanding our national histories and the implications of moral and legal responsibilities for redressing past wrongs. This conversation was recorded in May 2020. Shusenjo is now available on Amazon, Apple TV, Vimeo, and DVD. For more information about the film, visit the website: https://www.shusenjo.com/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com This episode was edited by Maggie Deagon.

In this episode, Eugene sits down with freelance journalist Chris Outcalt, who published a piece in The Atlantic in August 2020 titled "When a Family Separation Becomes Permanent." The article can be found here: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/08/ice-family-separation-death/614335/ Eugene asks Chris about his process of writing the piece, which details the story of Idrissa Camara, an immigrant from West Africa living in Colorado who lost his wife while being detained by ICE. Afterwards, the two discuss the various facets of family separation, which can include issues of mental illness and have broader effects on a community such as trust immigrants' trust in public resources. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Walla Elsheikh is the co-founder and CEO of Birthright AFRICA, which is committed to providing a free educational trip to Africa for all youth and young adults of African descent in the US. She was born in Sudan and raised there as well as in Sweden and Uganda before immigrating to New York City. In this episode, Eugene speaks with Walla about what inspired her to embark on such an ambitious project, and why it is so important to know one's heritage. For more on Birthright AFRICA: https://birthrightafrica.org/ Also on Instagram as @birthrightafrica This conversation was recorded on July 7, 2020. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com Chapter Markers: 0:00-1:22 Paul introduces the episode 1:45 Eugene and Walla introduce Birthright Africa  4:46 Walla discusses her own childhood and identity moving from Sudan to the United States  9:14 Walla gives an overview of how Birthright Africa works  12:27 Walla discusses how Birthright Africa is adapting to a digital format  13:51 Eugene and Walla discuss how she pivoted from a career in finance to education and entrepreneurship 18:56 Walla and Eugene discuss the concept of Pan-Africanism in the context of Birthright Africa 22:10 Walla shares her hope for the narrative of Africa that shes hopes to portray through Birthright Africa  24:13 Walla shares standout stories from Birthright Africa of belonging and solidarity 28:33 Walla and Eugene discuss how visiting one's motherland at a young age can serve as a touchstone memory for the future 32:43 Walla shares her hopes for Birthright Africa and message for serving the future

Iris Tzafrir is an Israeli resident in the United States who writes and speaks about her family’s stories of surviving the Holocaust and about being the descendant of Shoah survivors. Compelled by her son’s school history project to speak publicly about her father’s memories of the Holocaust for the first time, she and her siblings finally decided to join their father in visiting the physical sites of the Holocaust, including the concentration camp where their father was detained. In this episode, Eugene asks Iris about the emotions carried by survivors and their descendants, the courage needed to confront traumatic pasts and the possibilities found in the process of retracing family history and reuniting with long-lost, separated relatives. To read Iris Tzafrir’s article about her family’s story: https://onbeing.org/blog/touching-our-trembling-places-a-generational-story-for-yom-hashoah/ This episode was edited by Quinton Huang. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com Chapter Markers: 0:00 Paul introduces the episode 2:30 Eugene introduces Iris Tzafrir 4:30 Iris introduces herself and her father 6:00 Iris’s son’s history project sparks a re-engagement with family history 12:15 Iris talks about a trip with her father and her siblings to places of significance to her father during World War II 16:10 Iris discusses her and her siblings’ emotional responses to visiting the physical sites of the Holocaust 17:45 Iris and Eugene discuss the decline of historical memory among youth about the Holocaust and concentration camps such as Auschwitz, and the role of education about genocides and tragedies in world history 21:18 Iris continues her account of visiting Holocaust sites and talks about how her father’s words at Birkenau made her think about the nature of the horror of the Holocaust and World War II 24:07 Iris talks about her father showing her and her siblings one of the barracks at Birkenau, like the one where he slept during the War 26:11 Iris reflects on the courage of her father in revisiting his traumatic past and sharing it with his children 28:15 Iris talks about how she and her siblings would debrief after visiting Holocaust sites 29:40 Iris discusses her newfound conviction in sharing and commemorating the memories of her family members 31:00 Iris talks about how her desire to piece together the stories of her relatives brought her to the tracing services of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and a surprising discovery 34:10 Iris explains how different relatives arrived in Israel unaware of each other’s presence, and how the trauma of the Holocaust delayed family reunion 36:23 Iris talks about the “immediate sense of kinship” after connecting with long-lost relatives in Israel, and telling her father about the survival of his sister 39:00 Iris discusses commemorating relatives who were murdered in the Holocaust, and correcting a family memorial 41:30 Eugene asks Iris about the title of her book “Touching our Trembling Places” and the significance behind the symbolism 45:30 Iris talks about the confusion of victimhood and “the strength of moving from being ashamed” 47:15 Eugene closes the discussion by reflecting on the healing power of “telling your story”

Steven Vitto has been a researcher at the U.S. Memorial Holocaust Museum for over thirty years. With deep expertise in examining documents both physical and digital, he has reconnected numerous families over the years. In this episode, Paul talks to Steven about specific stories of family reunions and the work that leads up to them. One resource Steven mentions are the Arolsen Archives, which was formerly known as the International Tracing Service. Based in Bad Arolsen, Germany, the archive is overseen by an international committee of 11 countries. For more information about the Arolsen Archives: https://www.ushmm.org/remember/resources-holocaust-survivors-victims/international-tracing-service For information about Oral Histories at the USHMM: https://www.ushmm.org/collections/the-museums-collections/about/oral-history/ This episode was edited by Katherine Moncure. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com Chapter Markers: 0:00 Eugene prefaces the episode  1:36 Steven introduces his work at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and personal motivation to how he became interested in researching families 5:31 Steve provides an overview of how families were separated during the Holocaust  9:10 Steve shares a story of a couple who was separated from the Holocaust and how he helped reunite them over Skype 12:20 Steve shares another story finding information for a son of a Holocaust survivor about his father and his family  15:14 Steve explains the circumstances that kept these families separated, and what tools he uses in his research 18:21 Steve discusses the range of research requests he receives from Holocaust survivors from 77 countries around the world 20:15 Steve shares story of brothers from Poland - one who had stayed, and another who ended up in Nicaragua - whose grandchildren reconnected with each other  21:40 Steve discusses collections of non-Jews who were persecuted during the Holocaust  23:10 Steve gives an overview of the Arolsen Archives (formerly known as the International Tracing Service of the Red Cross) 29:12 Steve reflects on some trends he has noticed from stories and circumstances of Holocaust survivors  32:52 Steve discusses the importance of finding stories across generations and his personal story of searching for his own family roots in Italy 36:16 Steve mentions ways listeners can learn more about the work of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and its ancestry database project 38:57 Eugene closes the episode

In this episode, Eugene and Paul look back on the Divided Families Podcast, one year later. The two also reflect on 2020 and possibilities for the future of the podcast. Stay tuned for new episodes in 2021, and thank you to all of our listeners for your continued support! For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast. You can also contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com.

In our final episode of the season, Paul reflects on the stories we have featured in recognition of National Adoption Month with two other members of the Divided Families Podcast team, Liat Shapiro and Mailé Nguyen. Liat and Mailé share their experiences as adoptees, relating in different ways to the concept of "coming out of the fog" and the duality of adoption as an institution of both family creation and separation. Ultimately, they reaffirm the importance of diversifying stories of adoption and honoring the individuals at the center -- the adoptees themselves. Thank you to everyone who has listened to our podcast this year. We look forward to sharing more stories with you in 2021! For updates on our forthcoming season, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast. You can also contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com. This episode was edited by Maggie Deagon. Chapter markers: 00:00 Maggie introduces the episode 01:46 Opening remarks from Paul 03:35 Discussion with Mailé about White House proclamation for National Adoption Month 05:42 Liat shares her adoption story 07:47 Mailé shares her adoption story 10:25 Connections to South Korea 13:39 Liat discusses her work with Korean Kids and Orphanage Outreach Mission (KKOOM) 16:05 Discussing the Side by Side Project 18:49 The importance of sharing adoptee experiences 22:00 Reflections on "coming out of the fog" 27:21 The duality of adoption as family creation and separation 36:43 Mailé's call to action 39:00 Closing remarks from Paul 39:35 Maggie closes the episode

Our second episode commemorating National Adoption Month features three members of a collective of transracial adoptees advocating for abolition of the transracial international adoption system: Meghan Kelly, Chris Santizo-Malafronti, and Eleanor Vasquez-Kelly. Meghan and Eleanor share their radicalizing and transformative experiences of "coming out of the fog" as adoptees and their search for their birth families, followed by a group conversation about the dissonant duality of adoption and its sociopolitical implications today. To learn more or to collaborate with the collective, you can reach out via email to triabolitionists@gmail.com. Resources that our guests shared to learn more about transracial adoption: Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption edited by Julia Chinyere Oparah, Sun Yung Shin, and Jane Jeong Trenka, 2006 https://www.amazon.com/Outsiders-Within-Writing-Transracial-Adoption/dp/0896087646 Declaration Calling for an Immediate End to the Industrial International Adoption System From South Korea, 2017 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A0HW9Ip-r6gdHm9yxqj-VYw9pM-owxii/view “The New Abolition: Ending Adoption in Our Time” by Daniel Drennan ElAwar https://dissidentvoice.org/2012/08/the-new-abolition-ending-adoption-in-our-time/ Selling Transracial Adoption: Families, Markets and the Color Line by Elizabeth Raleigh https://www.amazon.com/Selling-Transracial-Adoption-Families-Markets/dp/1439914788 Not My White Savior: A Memoir in Poems by Julayne Lee https://bookshop.org/books/not-my-white-savior-a-memoir-in-poems/9781945572432?aid=846 Between European Colonial Trafficking, American EmpireBuilding and Nordic Social Engineering: Rethinking International Adoption From a Postcolonial and Feminist Perspective by Tobias Hübinette www.rethinking-nordic-colonialism.org/files/pdf/ACT3/MANUSCRIPTS/Huebinette.pdf Social media accounts that our guests mentioned to follow and learn more: @Nowhitesaviors @Adoptees4Justice For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com This episode was edited by Katherine Moncure. Chapter markers: 00:34 Katherine introduces this episode 01:13-22:26 Meghan and Eleanor share their lived experiences growing up as transracial adoptees and search for birth families 22:42 Paul and Chris discuss the significance of “coming out of the fog” for adoptees 27:18 Eleanor, Chris, and Meghan comment on the relationship between transracial adoption and systems of oppression such as colonialism and ethnocentrism 33:56 Eleanor and Chris share their thoughts and experiences on reuniting with their birth families and the complexities of birth-adoptive family dynamics 40:00 Meghan shares her thoughts and yearning for her heritage and culture 41:50 Discussion of the political implications of these experiences and advocacy of abolishing of the transracial system of adoption 45:55 What are things in the short-term that can be achieved? And what can listeners do to educate themselves and support this cause? 54:06 Katherine closes the episode

Glenn Morey was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1960. He was abandoned days after birth, taken to Seoul City Hall, then to a Holt orphanage, and adopted at the age of six months to the US. In 2013, Glenn and his wife, Julie, began filming The Side by Side Project, a documentary series that captures the voices of 100 inter-country Korean adoptees. In this conversation, Eugene and Glenn talk about what it means to be comfortable with one's unique self, and the various ways in which people can have relationships with their ethnic homelands. The first portion of this episode is from the Side by Side Project, and more information can be found here: http://sidebysideproject.com/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com Chapter markers: 0:00 Snippet from interviewee in the Side by Side project 3:23 Glenn talks with Eugene about his Initial interest in international adoption 7:31 Connecting with international adoptees through the Side By Side Project 9:15 The “danger of the single story” 12:53 Reception of the project (both from adoptees and non-adoptees) 14:00 Glenn discusses how Korea's impact on inter-country adoptions 15:30 Glenn and Eugene discuss nterviewees' reactions & Importance of diverse narratives 18:10 Glenn and Eugene discuss the Duality of birth and adoptive families 20:03 Glenn shares a Story of a Tazmanian Korean Adoptee 24:30 Eugene and Glenn discuss “choice” and family 27:45 Glenn discusses finding belonging within the Korean Adoptee community 28:32 Glenn discusses a book that had a lot of personal significance for him: “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving 29:03 Eugene and Glenn discuss The Korean War and Korean Adoptees 32:18 Glenn and Eugene discuss Stigma against Korean Adoptees and orphans, including discussion of citizenship and military service 40:30 Glenn’s reading of “Wanting to Love Korea” 41:58 Glenn’s experience visiting Korea 46:50 Alienation & Assimilation - themes of the Side By Side Project 48:55 Glenn's understanding of family 50:20 Glenn’s suggestions for listeners 54:15 Outro - Paul discusses how this conversation made him think about the idea of closure

Professor Carlos Eire is the T. Lawrason Riggs Professor of History and Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University. Originally from Cuba, he was separated from his parents during the Cold War through what became known as Operation Pedro Pan, the airlift of minors out of Cuba to escape potential plans to send children to communist indoctrination camps. He writes about his experience in his memoir, "Waiting for Snow in Havana" (2003), which won the National Book Award in Nonfiction in the United States and has been translated into more than a dozen languages. In this episode, Paul goes back to school to speak with his former professor about Cuban history and his opinions on whether or not family separation is sometimes necessary for the future of one's children. This episode was edited by Maggie Deagon. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Al Otro Lado is a bi-national, social justice legal services organization serving indigent deportees, migrants, and refugees in Tijuana, Mexico and Southern California. Back in January, Eugene was able to visit their office in the Los Angeles area, and spoke with Regina Ramirez, who works in the legal department, and Melissa Flores, who manages communication. In these two conversations, Eugene asks Regina about working at a bi-national organization and the perspective of those living in Mexico on the immigration crisis at the border. He then speaks with Melissa about the media and how she personally came to work for Al Otro Lado. More about Al Otro Lado here, and on the homepage you can find the TED talk by litigation director Erika Pinheiro Paul mentions in the introduction: https://alotrolado.org/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

This is the unedited version of this episode to preserve this account in its entirety. The edited, condensed version can be found on our profile. Yuka Yasui Fujikura was separated from her father and sent to Tule Lake Japanese Internment Camp when she was just 14. In this episode, Paul speaks with Yuka about life in the camps and the resilience required to build a life after leaving them in search of an education. Yuka also tells the story of her brother Minoru "Min" Yasui, who was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for challenging the constitutionality of imposing curfews on minority groups. An unedited version of the conversation can be found in our list of episodes, and you can learn more about Tsuru for Solidarity here: tsuruforsolidarity.org/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Yuka Yasui Fujikura was separated from her father and sent to Tule Lake Japanese Internment Camp when she was just 14. In this episode, Paul speaks with Yuka about life in the camps and the resilience required to build a life after leaving them in search of an education. Yuka also tells the story of her brother Minoru "Min" Yasui, who was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for challenging the constitutionality of imposing curfews on minority groups. An unedited version of the conversation can be found in our list of episodes, and you can learn more about Tsuru for Solidarity here: tsuruforsolidarity.org/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, Eugene gets an overdue lesson in Asian American studies in a conversation with Franklin Odo, an activist, historian, and professor at Amherst College. Professor Odo provides an overview of legal landmarks in United States immigration history as well as insights to his personal position as a Japanese American in academia during the civil rights movement. Together, they explore whether or not the United States government upholds family values and consider parallels between the ideological shifts of the 1960s and our present reckoning with race in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. As mentioned in this episode, the documentary series Asian Americans is available on the PBS website with varying access depending on your location: https://www.pbs.org/show/asian-americans/ This episode was edited by Maggie Deagon. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Jenna Gilbert is the Managing Attorney of the Los Angeles office of Human Rights First, where she oversees the pro bono legal representation of indigent asylum seekers. She provides support to volunteer lawyers from law firms in the Los Angeles area who represent asylum seekers at all levels of the system. Back in January of this year, Eugene was able to visit Jenna in LA, where they sat down to talk about the crisis at the US-Mexico border. In this episode, the two go over a basic understanding of the immigration system and questions such as what constitutes an "asylum-seeker." Eugene also asks Jenna about her life as a lawyer and why she is so invested in issues of family separation. For more on Human Rights First: https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, Eugene and Paul look back on the first six episodes to talk about some behind the scenes thoughts and the direction and future of this podcast. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Stefani Kuo is a playwright/performer and native of Hong Kong and Taiwan. She is currently an MFA Playwriting Candidate at the Yale School of Drama, and has been awarded, among others, a Jerome fellowship. In this episode, Eugene sits down to talk with Stefani about her latest play, "Final Boarding Call," which tells the human stories of the Hong Kong protests through the seven interconnected characters that range from a flight attendant to an American expat CEO. Recorded in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests in America, the conversation also touches on having the space to talk about multiple issues at the same time and how doing so might yield additional insights. "Final Boarding Call" will be performed online as part of the Bay Area Playwrights Festival 2020 on Sunday, July 19th and Saturday, July 25th at 5pm PST: http://playwrightsfoundation.org/2020-bay-area-playwrights-festival/ Stefani's Website: http://www.stefanikuo.com/ Stefani's blog on the Hong Kong protests: https://parachutehongkonger.wordpress.com/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

This is just a quick message recorded by Eugene and Paul to talk about the Value Our Families Week of Action, which aims to remind our representatives that immigrants and refugees must be ensured the same resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, push for defunding of CBP and ICE to reallocate funds to longer-term safety strategies, and ensure humane family immigration policies. For more information: https://www.valueourfamilies.org/week-of-action-2020 For a quick auto-generated email for representatives: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/take-action-dont-let-trump-distract-from-covid-19-failures-by-banning-immigrants/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Megan Essaheb is the Director of Immigration Advocacy at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC, an organization that advocates for an America in which all Americans can benefit equally from, and contribute to, the American dream. AAJC is also part of the Value Our Families campaign, which is a network of organizations that aims to strengthen the family immigration system. In this conversation, Paul speaks to Megan about immigration policy under the current presidency, the Reuniting Families Act H.R.3799, and how we can take action. AAJC: https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/ Value Our Families Campaign: https://www.valueourfamilies.org/ Reuniting Families Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3799?s=1&r=5 This episode was edited by Maggie Deagon. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Yeonmi Park and her mother were smuggled from North Korea to China when she was just thirteen. Today, she is a human rights activist that speaks out against the North Korean regime and advocates on behalf of victims of human trafficking. In this episode, Paul speaks with Yeonmi about life in North Korea, her harrowing escape, and why she continues to act and put herself in danger when she is finally free. You can read more of her story in her bestselling memoir, "In Order to Live." She can be found on Instagram @yeonmi_park and on Twitter at @YeonmiParkNK For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

E.J. Joseph is an actor originally from Brooklyn who has been organizing protests against police brutality with a few friends in Los Angeles. His group recently started an organization called "Amplify the Movement" which aims to create a safe and inclusive space to amplify the voices of Black and marginalized communities. In this episode, Eugene sits down with E.J. to learn more about what got him involved, and what motivates him to keep pushing forward in the face of injustice. E.J. can be found on Instagram @ejjosephh Amplify the Movement can also be found on Instagram @ampthemovement and can be contacted for donations and volunteers at infoampthemovement@gmail.com For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com Intro music by Flannel Albert @flannelalbert

Yi-Ling Liu is a nonfiction writer covering technology, culture & society in China. She has written for various outlets such as The New Yorker, The Economist, and Foreign Policy, and is currently a visiting scholar at the New York University Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. In this episode, Paul talks to his friend Yi-Ling about her recent piece in Harper's Magazine, "Dream State," which centers on the protests in Hong Kong. Yi-Ling gives an overview of the situation, and the two talk about intergenerational divisions, "yellows" and "blues" in Hong Kong, and possible futures. Read "Dream State" here: https://harpers.org/archive/2020/05/dream-state-hong-kong-protests/ Yi-Ling's website: https://www.yi-lingliu.com/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

On May 28, 2020, Paul was part of a webinar sponsored by the National Committee on North Korea titled " 70 Years of Separation: U.S.-DPRK Divided Families." He was joined by Chahee Lee Stanfield, a Korean-American divided family member and Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Divided Families, and Dr. Katharine H.S. Moon, Edith Stix Wasserman Professor of Asian Studies, Professor of Political Science, Wellesley College. The webinar covered the current status of Korean-American divided families and the challenges facing them today under U.S.-DPRK relations. The video shown on the webcast of Hyunjoon Lee can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ973fE1UBs More information about the National Committee on North Korea can be found here: https://www.ncnk.org/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Olamide Omidele, now Olamide Omidele MD, recently graduated from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai early and is now working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this more casual episode, Eugene speaks with Olamide to try and see the pandemic from the perspective of those in the medical field. Olamide also explains the difficult scenes one can see in the hospital these days, with families separated from each other by the bright screens of tablets transmitting videos from far away. For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Mary Murakami was 14 when she was moved with her family to Topaz Japanese Internment Camp in Utah during the 1940s under Executive Order 9066. In this episode, Paul visits Mary in her suburban home in Maryland to speak with her about life in the camps, and why it is so important to remember and be vocal. An unedited version of the conversation can be found in our list of episodes, and you can learn more about Tsuru for Solidarity here: https://tsuruforsolidarity.org/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

This is the unedited version of this episode to preserve this account in its entirety. The edited, condensed version can be found on our profile. Mary Murakami was 14 when she was moved with her family to Topaz Japanese Internment Camp in Utah during the 1940s under Executive Order 9066. In this episode, Paul visits Mary in her suburban home in Maryland to speak with her about life in the camps, and why it is so important to remember and be vocal. An unedited version of the conversation can be found in our list of episodes, and you can learn more about Tsuru for Solidarity here: tsuruforsolidarity.org/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

E.J. Koh is a winner of the Pleiades Editors Prize for Poetry and author of a recent memoir, "The Magical Language of Others." The memoir is built around letters her mother sent her during her upbringing, when her parents left her and her brother in America to pursue a job in South Korea. One Korean term for this situation is "gireogi gajok" or "geese family," coined because, like geese, the parents similarly migrate seasonally to visit their children. In this episode Eugene and E.J. talk about the generosity of letters and the fundamentally flawed nature of language when it comes to communication even - or especially - within our own families. This episode is also tied to our COVID-19 Letter Campaign, of which more information can be found on our Instagram or Facebook pages (@DividedFamiliesPodcast). We encourage you to send 5 letters to family and friends during this time to reaffirm our bonds and raise awareness about several COVID-19 funds they can donate to (tinyurl.com/sffwwjh). The recipients should then write letters to five new people, like a chain letter. If you feel so inclined, we'd also love a photo of your letters to share, which you can DM or email to dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

We hope everyone is doing well during these uncertain times with the COVID-19 outbreak. In this episode Eugene speaks with his friend JinJin, who tunes in from quarantine in Macau. JinJin is an MFA candidate at NYU who previously pursued a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to speak with dislocated mothers in marginalized communities around the world. The two talk about JinJin's "Pandemic Diaries," which was inspired by the writer Fang Fang's "Wuhan Diary," and the importance of family during moments like this. You can read and subscribe to JinJin's newsletter here: https://tinyurl.com/t5p85mw We are also starting a letter campaign, in which we encourage listeners to send five letters to their friends and family. The recipients should then write letters to five new people, like a chain letter. We hope this project will reaffirm our relationships during isolation, and also spread awareness about the different COVID-19 related funds people can contribute to. We are compiling a list of them here: https://tinyurl.com/sffwwjh For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com