In 1955, when my grandmother was 18 years old, she came to the U.S. for four months as the high school representative from Japan for the New York Herald Tribune International Youth Forum. The text on the second image explains that this passport was issued specifically for her participation in this program.
The inspiration for this project came from conversations I had with my grandmother. My grandfather passed away two years ago, and I realized that so much history and wisdom passed with him. I didn't want to lose this same opportunity with my grandmother so l started interviewing her. There are so many stories that she has that are meaningful to our family but also meaningful to the broader story of history. The items in this project will represent my attempt to preserve the history of my family and document the Asian immigrant experience in America.