On February 11, 2025, the VocalizED Identity Crafting and Exploration (VOICE) Research Lab introduced the first session of their Fireside Chat Series, The Stories We Interrogate: Amplifying Immigrant and Refugee Narrative Amid Anti-Immigration Discourses. This inspiring event led by four English Faculty members gave glimpses into the conversations surrounding migrant narratives during a time when it’s more crucial than ever.
As the creator of the VOICE Research Lab, Dr. Neisha Terry Young focuses specifically on Black immigrant youths, and how they can reposition their authentic narratives to be amplified in white dominated discourse surrounding migrant narratives. Dr. Young’s inspiration for her passion stems from her experience being a black immigrant from Jamaica, alongside her experiences in the classroom as an educator. Using multiliteracy tools like podcasting, she strives to make space for students in the classroom to tell their authentic story.
Dr. Jeffrey Santa Ana is a first-generation college graduate who’s strong attachment to migrant narratives comes from being a child of two immigrant parents from completely different backgrounds. His current work discusses how refugee narratives depict concepts like “home” and “belonging,” and how those who are displaced by war and conflict depict these ideas. Dr. Santa Ana’s work also shows how climate change exacerbates such violence, and he asks how we can find environmental justice within these narratives.
Dr. Timothy August aims to curate a space for immigrants to amplify and tell their own story. His book, The Refugee Aesthetic: Reimagining Southeast Asian America, looks at the resurgence of people reclaiming their refugee identity, despite the long precedent of people being discomfited of the label. Dr. August strives to bring these discussions into his classroom, as his past Single Author course focused on Ocean Vuong and the Place of Refugee Literature.
Interested in narratives beyond English, Dr. Simone Brioni posits the ideas of translation and colonialism in respect to immigrant narratives, with particular emphasis on contemporary Italy. His passion for studying migration comes from both the rage and love he feels about the topic. Rage of how migrants are presented, especially with the abundance of misinformation that constantly shapes the migrant narrative, and love for the courage, ripeness, intelligence, and sensitivity of the writers he’s collaborated with. Dr. Brioni uses language, film, and literature to subversively re-think the idea of labels that force people to define themselves, particularly for immigrants.