‘What I Carried’ – A New Collection of Immigration Stories From Fi2W and Cowbird

A cookbook of family recipes, a stuffed toy bear, a ring handed down from a grandmother to her granddaughter.

For many immigrants, personal talismans are powerful symbols of culture, family history, or the journey to a better life in the U.S. Recently we invited a group of young journalists to explore the significance of objects in a series of stories called “What I Carried.”

Using photography, audio and text, the stories reveal a range of immigration experiences from countries around the globe and across generations. The stories appear on the storytelling website Cowbird where they are grouped together in the Fi2W collection.

Over the next few weeks we’ll also be sharing them with you here.

Ayinde Jean-Baptiste, a Haitian-Trinidadian journalist and contributing editor at The Haitian Times, talked with musician Paul Beaubrun about his djakout—a “traditional straw satchel of the Haitian peasantry.” Click through his multimedia Cowbird story below.

Israeli journalist and Feet in 2 Worlds contributor Yael Even Or interviewed Colombian journalist Camila Osorio Avendano about her prized mochila, a bag she bought in her native country and traveled the world with. Click through her multimedia Cowbird story below.

Visit Cowbird to browse the entire collection of stories.  And please consider adding your own story. It’s easy and it’s free to join Cowbird.

Fi2W is supported by the David and Katherine Moore Family Foundation and the Ralph E. Odgen Foundation.

AboutFeet in Two Worlds

Feet in 2 Worlds (Fi2W) is an independent media outlet, journalism training program, and launchpad for emerging immigrant journalists and media makers of color. Our work brings positive and meaningful change to America's newsrooms and has a broader impact on how immigration is reported and the ethnic and racial composition of news organizations.