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.

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

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/

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."

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."

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.

"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.

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.

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.

"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.

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

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

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.

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

The Trust for Social Achievement is an organization based in Bulgaria dedicated to helping people reach their full potential. Its staff particularly focus on aiding the Roma community, of which 72% live below the poverty line. In this episode, Eugene speaks with Maria Metodieva, the Institutional Development Officer, and Ognyan Isaev, the Educational Achievement Official, about who the Roma people are, and the particular challenges facing their community both at home in Bulgaria and abroad. Learn more about the Trust for Social Achievement here: https://socialachievement.org/en/ For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

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.

Professor DeNeen Brown is an award-winning journalist for The Washington Post and an associate professor at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. In this episode, Paul and Professor Brown discuss the legacy of American slavery and family separation, and in particular, the way generational trauma connects the past to today. Watch the trailer for Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer, DeNeen Brown's documentary: https://youtu.be/rFR0wUtcrZU Buy How to Be an Antiracist from your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525509288 Buy Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents from your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593230251 Transcript: https://dividedfamiliespodcast.medium.com/american-slaverys-legacy-of-family-separation-with-deneen-brown-95e9c4747c2b This episode was edited by Katherine Moncure.

Thanhha Lai is Vietnam-born American author perhaps best known for her debut novel, "Inside Out and Back Again," which won the Newbery Honor and the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. In this upbeat episode, Eugene and Thanhha talk about her young adult novel, "Butterfly Yellow," and how we should allow complexity in telling the stories of refugees. Transcript: https://dividedfamiliespodcast.medium.com/allowing-complexity-in-refugee-narratives-with-thanhha-lai-52ea6a61518f For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at dividedfamiliespodcast@gmail.com

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.

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