2 Resources that Amplify South Asian Voices
On my own journey to learn about my roots, I realized that they are broader than my direct lineage. I was born in the United States and my parents were born in India. And I’ve slowly been trying to learn more about my ancestors, in the capacity I can.
But I realized that my lineage is both narrow and broad. There’s my direct bloodline, and then there’s the communities that surrounded, and continue to surround, me. Who we are is influenced by others in society.
Here are a couple resources that preserve and raise South Asian voices and are helping me dive deeper into these broader communities.
1. SAADA
The South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) has been documenting, preserving, and sharing South Asian American stories for 13 years. They have various projects such as sharing road trips of South Asians traversing the United States by car, digital and in-person community storytelling, and over 500 stories documenting immigrants’ first days in America.
One of SAADA’s values is: We believe that history is not a spectator sport. I really love how the stories in this digital archive have shared and unique experiences. This collective, first-person perspective, which is preserved, organized, and shared so thoughtfully, warms my heart.
