Our Stories Carried Us Here: Representing Asian Immigrant Women in Graphic Novels for Young Readers
See application under "Documents"
2022-2023 Cultural Heritage and Community Identity Grants - Winter 2021
See application under "Documents"
In 2021, GCV began publishing bilingual, single-story graphic novels based on the positive reception of their best-selling Kirkus-star reviewed anthology, Our Stories Carried Us Here. MHC Cultural Legacy funding would support Volume 3 in the series, telling the story of Minnesota-resident Kim Uy, a Cambodian immigrant who initially struggled with English only to join the Army Reserves and become a medical doctor. This book will provide a mirror and window for young readers ages 9-12.
PROGRESS:
Search conducted to find a Khmer and Chinese illustrators to illustrate Kim's book and to capture her ancestry as dad is Khmer, and mother of Chinese descent. (completed)
All contracts signed with (1) Kim Uy (author), (2) sunshine gao (story illustrator), and (3) Kat Eng (cover illustrator).
Several meetings between two illustrators and author facilitated and co-creation initiated (completed).
Story outline drafted by sunshine gao (completed).
Cover illustration was completed June 2023
Interior story illustration to be completed by October 15th, 2023
Book will go to print by November/December 2023; Through this grant, we were able to fund the time of Executive Director Tea Rozman to search for a Khmer and Chinese immigrant illustrator to illustrate the story and cover.
We were also able to fund the work of Chinese immigrant illustrator sunshine gao. sunshine studied the story of Kim Uy, a Chinese-Cambodian immigrant, and worked closely with her to create a story outline.
The grant also funded the time of Program Manager, Jeannine Erickson, to hold several meetings with Tea, the cover illustrator (Khmer immigrant Kat Eng), Kim Uy and sunshine to co-create and ensure authenticity and accuracy of the story.
Cover illustration was completed June 2023
sunshine was able to complete the interior illustration (October 31,2023)
Book will go to print by December 2023
Members (in alphabetical order by last name):Marina B. Aleixo, PhD, Program Director at the University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) International Initiatives (born and raised in Brazil)Thorunn Bjarnadottir - Former Director of Intercultural Education at the University of Minnesota, (immigrant from Iceland)Greg Egan, Ramsey County Public Defender (U.S. born, married to first-generation immigrant from Honduras)Fee Freeman, Communications and External Relations Manager at International Rescue Committee (IRC) (born and raised in Scotland, UK)Merle Greene, Former Intercultural Communications consultant, English language instructor, and Program Manager working with refugees and immigrants (U.S. born)Ibrahim Hirsi, Doctoral Candidate in the U.S. History, Immigration and African Diaspora at the UMN Twin Cities, and writer for the Nation, Twin Cities, MN (immigrant from Somalia)John T. Medeiros, Immigration Attorney (2nd generation Portuguese)Nicole Montana, Senior Lecturer in Dept of Writing Studies at University of Minnesota; writing instructor at The Loft (U.S. born , 2nd generation Mexican )Vanja Pantic Oflazoglu, Senior Content Strategist, Citizen Lab, Atlanta, GA (former refugee from Bosnia)Biswas Rijal, Scientific researcher and data analyst at University of Florida, founder of NGO for in Nepal (immigrant from Nepal)Monique Thompkins, Event Manager (African-American), U.S.born; 1. CHAIR: Dr. Aasma Shaukat, Professor of Medicine and Population Health, NYU Grossman School ofMedicine, STEM book author (immigrant from Pakistan)
2. VICE-CHAIR: Richard Benton, PhD, Polyglot & Speaker on language/culture; IT Manager, Ecolab,(U.S. born)
Members (in alphabetical order by last name):
3. Marina B. Aleixo, PhD, Program Director at the University of Minnesota, College of Education andHuman Development (CEHD) International Initiatives (born and raised in Brazil)
4. Merle Greene, Former Intercultural Communications consultant, English language instructor, andProgram Manager working with refugees and immigrants (U.S. born)
5. Mirdalys Herrera Tweeton, Executive Director of CENTRO Tyrone Guzman, Elk River, MN (1stgeneration Cuban)
6. John T. Medeiros, Immigration Attorney (2nd generation Portuguese)
7. Nicole Montana, Senior Lecturer in Dept of Writing Studies at University of Minnesota; writinginstructor at The Loft (U.S. born , 2nd generation Mexican)
8. Vanja Pantic Oflazoglu, Senior Content Strategist, Citizen Lab, Atlanta, GA (former refugee fromBosnia)
9. Jina Rahimi, LOTT Fellow, Leadership Development Program, Shoreview, MN (1st generation AfghanRefugee)
10. Jasmine Ceron, Human Resource Professional, Xcel Energy, Minneapolis MN (1st generationSomali-Italian-American)