Stories are the some of the only things I have tying my cultural identity together. My father’s story starts when he left Morocco, my mother’s when her mother left Hong Kong for Trinidad, continuing onto when my mother left Trinidad for the United States. In my family, speaking has always been a vital part of our lives, allowing for the merging of multiple cultures into one. In this photo, my father addresses a large group of men in Morocco, maybe for a political address, maybe to tell his story. But what I love most is that (almost) everyone is watching, listening intently. It reminds me that stories involve two parts: the speaker and the listener. Stories hold my identity together, but it is the listening that has helped to create my hodgepodge of an ethnicity, whereas speaking has allowed me to share this mesh of myself with others. In both Moroccan and Chinese culture, you eat surrounded by family and friends, sharing stories and listening. In my home, we share stories and cultures

– Nassima Boukhalfa

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant