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.

Ep. 31 | Writing a Transracial Adoption Story for an Audience with Nicole Chung

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.

Ep. 34 | Connecting Family through Genealogy with Hollis Gentry

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.

Ep. 37 | Defending Omar Ameen, an Innocent Refugee with Rachelle Barbour

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

Ep. 38 | The Story of DACA and the Original Dreamer with Tereza Lee

"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.

Ep. 40 | Unpacking the Intergenerational Trauma of Residential Schools with Brayden Sonny White

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.

Ep. 41 | Living Deportation with Adam Crapser

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.

Ep. 42 | Reflections on 2021 and the Future of the Divided Families Podcast

"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.

Ep. 43 | Mixed Marriages in Northern Ireland with Paul McLaughlin

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.

Ep. 44 | Across the Pacific and Back with Kham Moua

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."

Ep. 45 | Recovering a Bombed Past with Sera Koulabdara

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."

Ep. 46 | The Island Caught in the Conflict with Tatiana Kim

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/

Ep. 47 | Help Me to Find My Children with Ndjuoh MehChu

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.

Ep. 49 | Ukrainian Voices in Taiwan with Oleksandr Shyn

The Divided Families Podcast aims to provide a platform for connecting stories of family separation. This podcast is brought to you by two Korean-American millennials -- Eugene Lee and Paul Kyumin Lee. In this pilot, we talk a little bit about ourselves and what motivated us to pursue this project.

For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Pilot | Introduction to the Divided Families Podcast

Ken Liu is a computer programmer turned lawyer turned science fiction writer. Perhaps best known for his short story collection, "The Paper Menagerie" and his translation of Cixin Liu's "The Three-Body Problem," Liu grounds his stories in questions about what it means to be human, and to be shaped by forces such as family and history. In our pilot, Eugene calls "The Paper Menagerie" a quintessential story of family separation, and in this episode the two chat about Liu's newest short story collection, "The Hidden Girl," and why stories and storytelling are so important.

For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Ep. 1 | "The Hidden Girl" and Why Stories Matter with Ken Liu

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

Ep. 48 | On Making the Divided Families Film with Dr. Jason Ahn

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

Ep. 30 | Climate Change and the Marshall Islands with Tyler Rivera

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

Ep. 3 | The Pandemic Diaries with JinJin Xu

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

Ep. 39 | The "Underground Railroad" and Liberty in North Korea with Hannah Song

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

Ep. 36 | The Roma in the Holocaust and America with Ioanida Costache

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

Ep. 5 | Stories from Topaz Japanese Internment Camp with Mary Murakami

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

Ep. 16 | "Wrong is Wrong" Life at Tule Lake Japanese Internment Camp with Yuka Yasui Fujikura

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

Ep. 10 | Escaping North Korea and Becoming an Activist with Yeonmi Park

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

Ep. 6 | From Medical School to the Frontlines of the Pandemic with Dr. Olamide Omidele

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

Ep. 7 | Webinar with NCNK "70 Years of Separation: U.S.-DPRK Divided Families"

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

Ep. 8 | "Dream State" and the Hong Kong Protests with Yi-Ling Liu

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

Ep. 11 | Immigration Advocacy at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC with Megan Essaheb

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

Ep. 23 | Tracing Family Histories at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum with Steven Vitto

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

Ep. 12 | "Final Boarding Call" and Hong Kong Intersectionality with Stefani Kuo

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.

Ep. 28 | From Uyghur Studies to the Xinjiang Victims Database with Hanna Burdorf

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.

Ep. 27 | Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue with Miki Dezaki

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

Ep. 17 | Al Otro Lado and Immigration in Tijuana and the U.S. with Regina Ramirez and Melissa Flores

The Divided Families Podcast aims to provide a platform for connecting stories of family separation.

For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

Divided Families Podcast

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