PERSONAL PROJECT
WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY CHRISTINA NGUYEN
EDITED BY DAVE KORANDA
Assignment #701
There’s a unique intersectionality in being a child of immigrants. One in four children in the United States have at least one immigrant parent. I've lived this experience myself. As children, we live a life our parents may never understand, and they live one that we will never know.
Though acculturation is a constant challenge, we can work to understand each others’ perspectives to bridge the culture gap. Maybe it starts with understanding our family's stories; the stories we may not know. Maybe the answer starts with conversation. So... Assignment #701 serves as a gateway to have that conversation.
Have you ever noticed how the times you've learned the most about your parents' life stories are when you came home from school with an assignment to interview them? Hence, Assignment #701. When tied to academic performance, immigrant parents don't hesitate to provide what's needed for their children to succeed. Meaning... it's harder for them to dodge these questions when they feel obliged to answer them.
So why #701? Well, from 2003(when the agency began) until 2022, the total length of the USCIS immigration forms grew from 193 pages to 701 pages. This number references the effort, time, and energy required as part of the immigration process.
Broken into four categories of questions, each category explores a different part of our parents' journeys. Hopefully, the questions touch on subjects that aren't usually discussed, giving us a chance to invite them into conversation and allowing us to get to know them more deeply.
In conversations with fellow children of immigrants throughout the years, I've listened to comments about how difficult and uncomfortable it is to have deep conversations with immigrant parents who often internalize emotions instead of openly expressing them. My hope for Assignment #701 is for it to open doors for more of these conversations. After all, these talks are what lead to deeper understanding and stronger connections between immigrant children and parents. If you find yourself needing your own copy so that it's legit when you sit down with your parents to talk, send me an email. I gotchu.
Copies available in English, Vietnamese, and Spanish (coming soon).
