The Immigrant Story Grows Audience, Wins Award

I began writing for The immigrant Story about a year ago after attending one of the nonprofit’s first exhibits, which paired profiles of immigrants and refugees with beautiful photos by Sankar Raman, founder of The Immigrant Story.

In the past year, The Immigrant Story’s audience has grown substantially. Stories, released every Saturday, attract up to 50,000 reads per piece. Last week, Portland Monthly magazine announced that The Immigrant Story has been awarded Best New Nonprofit in the magazine’s “Light a Fire” awards, which recognizes individuals and nonprofits that are changing the world.

Since I attended the first exhibit, I’ve written profiles of a grandma who grew up in Soviet-occupied Ukraine; a doctor from Ukraine who launched her career after an unusual date with her boyfriend; a Nigerian woman who uses her accent as a mask; and a photographer who documents the plight of refugees from Iraq and Syria. I’m now working on a piece about an illegal immigrant who became an Oregon judge.

The nonprofit has partnered with many organizations to exhibit the work of its writers and photographers, among them Portland Parks and Recreation and the Beaverton and Hillsboro Libraries. Additional partnerships will be announced soon. More than 100 stories about people from 47 different countries have been published.

Next week, the nonprofit launches “The Immigrant Story Live,” during which four immigrants will take the stage at the Beaverton Library Auditorium to tell their stories. It will be the first in a series of live storytelling events.

Learn more by visiting The Immigrant Story

Read my stories for the organization here.