Inclusive Storytelling: Immigrant Experiences and Community Reaction in Georgia

Abstract

Through examination of a multiyear, interdisciplinary, qualitative, community-based participatory research project that began in 2017, this paper explores the role of storytelling in the transference of knowledge, history, and sense of purpose. Storytelling is important for both the storyteller and those who receive stories, creating an emotional connection and compelling listeners and readers to action. To inform and shape the narrative regarding contemporary U.S. immigration, we embarked on a storytelling project through a university-community partnership. The storytellers were immigrant students whose stories were featured in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the book Green Card Youth Voices: Immigration Stories From an Atlanta High School. While the project initially focused on producing a published collection of stories and creating opportunities for public engagement, its larger aim was to connect a young group of Atlantans to each other for deeper exploration around immigration. Two research questions shape this paper: (a) What do we know about young immigrant Atlantans’ perceptions of their own immigration experiences? and (b) What effect does exposure to individual immigration stories have on community members? This paper examines how community-based service-learning initiatives create new visions for civic engagement and what research methods help us ascertain community impact and opinion. We assert that inclusive storytelling from both positions (i.e., story-teller and story-hearer) is vital for improved and more inclusive immigrant integration.

Keywords

• immigrant integration
• cultural identity
• cultural permanence
• identity transition
• youth immigrants
• community-based learning