Stories That Move Us showcases real-life tales of immigrant women

“I am going to take you for a journey to a very remote area in Pakistan,” educator Safida said before describing the wildlife and landscape of the village she was born in. There, she got married at the young age of 11. Girls’ education wasn’t culturally accepted and she had access to schools intermittently. But Safida eventually earned a master’s degree and became the first female school principal in Northern Pakistan. “I went through a lot, but here I am, talking with you about the importance of girls’ education,” Safida concluded, prompting an ovation from a crowd of over 100 people.

Held on June 12 at Usagi, a Dumbo concept store that houses an art gallery, a library and a café, Stories That Move Us featured the stories of 12 immigrant women. Like Safida, they previously participated in a storytelling workshop led by NWNY and The Moth, a storytelling nonprofit. Guests hailing from different corners of the US and the world mingled over drinks and delicious snacks by Vanessa’s Dumpling House and Eat Offbeat, which serves authentic and off-the-beaten-path meals that are conceived, prepared, and delivered by refugees who now call New York home. The menu included Chinese dim sum, an Iranian sumac salad with cucumbers and tomatoes, and Iraq’s pistachio and walnut baklava. Like the team of storytellers who would soon take the stage, the food told stories of memories and thousands of miles traveled.

NWNY’s founder and CEO, Arielle Kandel, kicked things off. She introduced Bitta Mostofi, a longtime immigrant rights advocate and lawyer who is the Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. Bitta expressed how happy she was to attend the event and celebrate diversity by hearing stories of immigrant women. “Immigration is really hard and it requires an incredibly difficult choice, leaving behind a language, family and so much more. The people who do that are ambitious, resilient. Every single country should be fighting for them,” she said, adding that the newcomers contribute to New York’s vibrancy and innovation.

Then, it was Veena Jayadeva’s turn. As Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Guardian Life, the lead sponsor of Stories That Move Us, she manages community investments and employee engagement in financial empowerment, workforce development, and diversity. She briefly shared her own story, as a daughter of immigrants from India. Her mother overcame isolation in the first years in the United States with the help of a close community of friends. “By sharing stories, we feel empowered,” she told the crowd.

Next, Arielle introduced each storyteller and read their answers to the question  “When do you feel most like a New Yorker?” The audience cheered as they listened to witty responses, such as  “When I am walking fast for no reason,” and “When I give directions to the Uber driver.” Then, one by one, each woman walked to the center of the stage with a microphone in hand and told her five-minute story.

The stories of moving thousands of miles away from home, overcoming obstacles, defeating homesickness and language barriers moved the crowd. There were other relatable, gritty, often humorous stories of everyday life. Deysi, from Peru, shared a narrative about the moment she realized the differences between women and men as a 15-year-old girl at a summer job at the local radio station. Alina, who has been reluctant about performing in public since she studied violoncello as a little girl in Belarus overcame her fear “live” from the stage, “sharing a story about how I didn’t want to tell a story.”

Everybody applauded, laughed, and showed empathy. “The crowd is always so generous and responds so well. I’m excited!” Tianrui said minutes before hitting the stage to tell a humorous narrative about networking. Born and raised in China, she previously worked as a marketing professional. She is now pursuing an entrepreneurial path in the Big Apple while also exploring her storyteller vein, which she discovered thanks to the NWNY’s workshop with the Moth. Since 2018, she performed at The Rockefeller Foundation and at the show This Alien Nation at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater.

The event was also a moment to celebrate new friends and accomplishments. “It was fun and super exciting to stay on the stage and to receive such warm support from people around us,” said Maria, a journalist from Russia who made the crowd laugh with a story of an old apartment in Saint Petersburg haunted by ghosts. She is now thinking about all the other stories she wants to tell. “I would definitely do it again.”