Each immigrant story is a combination of determination, hope, challenges and victories – small and big. The storytelling project Real People. Real Lives. Women Immigrants of New York. elevates these narratives, moving beyond statistics, common discourse, and political rhetorics. Following past projects, the third, 2020 edition of the project highlights a diverse group of immigrant women living in New York City – frontline workers, a journalist, a stay-at-home mom, an artist and an entrepreneur, among others – on a series of podcasts released weekly between December 18, 2020 and March 5, 2021.
Participants talked about their immigrant experience and reflected on ideas of home and belonging within the backdrop of a year like no other in New York City – marked by the pandemic, racial justice protests and a presidential election. NWNY commissioned Iranian painter Bahar Sabzevari, one of the interviewees, to create a collage that explores identity, sense of place, and belonging. The work features a self-portrait along with motifs drawn from the artist’s universe and heritage, like the Persian bird Simurgh. The medium was chosen because it captures the zeitgeist of this year – fragmented, fast-paced, and multilayered, like our existences shaped by Zoom, social media scrolling, and narrative disputes.
Visit also: Real People. Real Lives. Women Immigrants of New York: an online exhibit
EPISODE ONE (12/18/2020): Meet Bahar Sabzevari, a painter from Iran whose work explores identity, sense of place and belonging. Over the last 15 years, she has created a body of work that explores identity through self-portraits, narrative painting, and drawing. By incorporating Persian motifs, her self-portraits investigate human’s imagination, hopes, fears, dreams, freedom, restriction, sense of place, and belonging. She is also the artist behind the image of Real People. Real Lives this year. Click here for the full transcript.
EPISODE TWO (12/25/2020): Meet Potri, a nurse from the Philippines. A member of the Maranao people, an indigenous group, she went to nursing school hoping to improve the health and well-being of her people. In the 1990s though, she joined the ranks of Filipino nurses working in the US. A seasoned nurse, she served as a frontline worker in the height of the pandemic. After work, Potri advocates for the indigenous traditions she left back home through her group Kinding Sindaw. Click here for full transcript.
EPISODE THREE (01/01/2020): Meet Broghanne Jessamine, an actress and entrepreneur from Scotland. Tired of acting roles that don’t do justice to women’s diverse experiences and transformed by a traumatic experience, she created her own film company, Elemental Women Productions. Broghanne’s goal is to empower women’s voices and focus on stories that are rarely told in the mainstream movie industry. Click here for the full transcript.
EPISODE FOUR (01/08/2021): Meet Shorai, a grassroots organizer from Zimbabwe. She came to the US in 2016 fleeing domestic violence. With a pending asylum case, she struggles with the decision to leave her children behind. Yet she hangs onto the hope that one day she will fulfill her dream of reuniting with her children and pursuing a higher education degree. Click here for the full transcript.
EPISODE FIVE (01/15/2021): Meet Ariana, a stay-at-home mom from Mexico. Brought to the US by her mother as a baby, she was raised in Brooklyn. A die-hard New Yorker, Ariana lives trapped between two different cultures. She attributes to the city her boundless strength and resilience. Yet, she dreams of Mexico and what life would be like had her mother stayed there. Click here for the full transcript.
EPISODE SIX (01/22/2021): Meet Nataliya, a nurse from Ukraine. A former journalist, she was satisfied with her career in Kiev. Then, the Orange Revolution hit, leading the country to the brink of civil war. Nataliya applied for political asylum in the US hoping to practice her craft in a free country. Journalism was not steady though. She needed a stable job, one immune to crises. Nursing was Nataliya’s choice, a profession that allowed her to give back to the city during the darkest days of the pandemic. Click here for the full transcript.
EPISODE SEVEN (01/29/2021): Meet Zoraya, an advocate for domestic violence survivors from Ecuador. She left medical school back home to pursue the American Dream. Her path to independence has not been an easy one, though. Yet she found the inner strength to keep going. After a journey of healing, she has become a role model for all women who experience domestic abuse. She is the founder of the nonprofit organization Women for Success. Click here for the full transcript.
EPISODE EIGHT (02/05/2021): Meet Leyla, a journalist from Egypt. After reporting on historic events including the Arab Spring and the trial of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Leyla landed in the US in 2017. Used to tell other people’s stories, Leyla joins the Real People. Real Lives project as the subject of a story for once. One step at a time, she is eager to change narratives, telling stories that inspire and move away from stereotypes. Here is hers. Click here for the transcript.
EPISODE NINE (02/12/2021): Meet Rosa, a babysitter from Dominican Republic. A single mother and former teacher, Rosa came to the US with her two sons in 2016. Adjusting to life in the country, she has found a sense of community and fulfillment among other immigrants. Work leaves little room for Rosa to pursue her dream of learning English. Still, she jumps at any learning opportunity. Rosa also makes sure to support other immigrant women along the way. Click here for a full transcript in English and Spanish.
EPISODE TEN (02/19/2021): Meet Marlene, an accountant from Chile. New York was supposed to be a quick stop on her way to Ireland. She ended up staying, driven by personal reasons and by the military dictatorship in Chile. Life hasn’t been easy though. In this interview, Marlene reflects on the challenges she has faced as an immigrant, from being undocumented to getting her American citizenship. She also shares her spiritual journey and how she has found solace after converting to Islam. Click here for a transcript of the episode.
EPISODE ELEVEN (02/26/2021): Meet Dorothy, a teacher from Nigeria who recreates a sense of home by cooking Nigerian dishes in her Brooklyn kitchen. Her life was hit hard by Covid-19, when her husband got severely ill. During this difficult time, she has found support and a sense of community among other women, especially immigrants like her. While Dorothy is finding her way out of the pandemic, she sends a message of hope to all New Yorkers.
EPISODE TWELVE (03/05/2021): Meet Anastassiya, an educator from Kazakhstan helping immigrants to realize their potential through higher education.
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The 2020 edition of Real People. Real Lives. is made possible in part with funding from the William Talbott Hillman Foundation.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by participants in the podcast series Real People. Real Lives. Women Immigrants of New York do not necessarily reflect the official position, opinions or values of New Women New Yorkers. We are committed to informing and increasing public awareness about the unique experiences and struggles of immigrant women, and creating a nuanced discourse and dialogue about the immigrant experience
Meet the team behind Real People. Real Lives., 2020-2021
Bruna Shapira
Formerly NWNY Program Associate, Community & Storytelling
Originally from Brazil, Bruna came to New York to study Arts Administration. At NWNY, she oversees the administration, coordination, and delivery of our community and storytelling programs. Prior to joining NWNY, she worked at MoMA and Guggenheim, among other galleries and art institutions in New York.
Anna Zemskova
Audio Editor
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Anna moved to New York in 2017. She holds a Master Degree in Management. Before moving to the U.S., Anna worked in recruiting, but in New York her career made a twist and now she supports future workers by teaching English as a Second Language. In her free time, Anna studies arts management.
Daniella Golembeski
Voice Over Artist
Born in Colombia, Daniella has extensive experience as a radio and TV journalist and digital content marketing strategist. She received recognition as a communications leader during Pope Francis’ visit to Colombia in 2017, and interviewed prominent writers and journalists including John Lee Anderson and Isabel Allende. Daniella immigrated to the US in 2019.
Meizi Wu
Transcriber
Born and raised in China, Meizi holds a bachelor’s degree in Business from Shanghai Jiaotong University and a masters degree in International Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Sheffield. Her career included work in investment banks, wealth management boutiques and asset management in Hong Kong, Beijing and NYC.
Natalia Rolim
Audio Editor
Born and raised in Brazil, Natalia moved to the United States in 2016 to continue her studies and pursue a career in retail technology. She currently works as a Content Marketing Executive for a startup technology company. Natalia joined NWNY to support and inspire other immigrant women to share their own stories.