Immigration Restriction and Genealogy

China Pavilion, Epcot

For the past several years I have pitched a talk to genealogy conferences on "unwanted ancestors" which would provide an introduction to anti-immigration feeling in the United States and how that might have impacted an ancestor's life. As an immigration historian, I know that as a country we have not always been so welcoming to immigrants and the present difficulties are really more of the same. I've always thought such a talk would provide family historians with a greater understanding of the world in which our ancestors lived. This talk has been routinely rejected, although perhaps I'll see a change this year since I have given the talk a new title and a spruced-up outline. 

In the meantime, I am heartened (or disheartened depending upon your viewpoint) by this story from NPR's Code Switch which demonstrates that American anti-immigration laws have had a direct impact on the ability of Chinese-American families to accurately document their family histories. 

Stories of 21st Century Immigrants

The July 4th episode of NPR's Alt.Latino features a discussion with Achy Obejas, co-editor of Immigrant Voices. 21st Century Stories and readings from several of the stories. I like that Obejas points out that the immigrant experience actually begins in the home county, something we tend to forget about in America. She makes a further point that immigranting in the 21st century is much different than in previous times: much more is known about America now, it is easier to keep in touch with the home country, and it is easier to return.

The stories evoke the experiences of immigrants from a range of countries including Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Iran. Maybe listening to these modern stories will inspire you to learn about one of your immigrant ancestors, how their immigration story began, and how they adjusted (or not) to America.

D-Day Reports from the BBC

BBC Radio 4

Last month,.in honor of the 70th anniversary of D-Day, BBC Radio 4 rebroadcast the news bulletins from 6, 7, and 8 June 1944. These bulletins which chronicle the progress of the Normandy Invasion feature Benedict Cumberbatch, Sir Patrick Stewart, and Toby Jones. Each segment is accompanied by image of the original transcripts.

1968 & The BBC

Earlier this summer, I wrote about songs that were popular in 1968. Then last week, I listened to four really great podcasts from the BBC Documentary Archive on this pivotal year. The four episodes of "1968: The Year that Changed the World?" were originally broadcast in 2008 by BBC World Service Radio. The neat thing about this series is that it examines events around the world - Vietnam, Paris, China, Britain, the United States and more.

The links will take you to the BBC World Service page for each episode where you can stream the programs or download them as an mp3. Each page also has a description of the episode and a list of related links. Alternatively you can download the programs on iTunes, which is where I found them (or more accurately, they found me after I subscribed to the podcast).

Episode One - American Election and Vietnam.

Episode Two - The Revolt of the Young.

Episode Three - Race and Nationalism.

Episode Four - The Communist World.

Happy Listening!

Digging Up Your Roots - Appeal - via ScottishGENES (Cross-Post)

Digging Up Your Roots - appeal

From the BBC:

Digging Up Your Roots Series 7
Transmission Dates: January 8th – February 26th 2012

The popular genealogy series ‘Digging up Your Roots’ returns to BBC radio Scotland in the new year.

We are keen to hear from people who are researching their ancestry. I wondered if you might be able to pass this information on to any one who may have a question about the life of one a family member, or a great tale to tell.

We can be contacted via mail at: Digging Up Your Roots, BBC Radio Scotland, Beechgrove Terrace, Aberdeen, AB15 5ZT or email at diggingupyourroots@bbc.co.uk 

****While most of the participants are people in Scotland looking for their Scottish ancestors, they did have one episode on "Emigration" which examined family members who had moved abroad.****


With thanks to Chris Paton at Scottish GENES who got it from Laura Seawright