My heritage is really important to me. My family fled Iran soon after the revolution in the late 1970s; they faced chaotic conditions and an oppressive government. In this photo, my grandparents stand proudly with my father, in Iran back in the 1950s. My grandfather was Muslim, but he was a forward thinking man who […]
When people with straight hair ask you, “why don’t you brush your hair?!” ‚ . This is a photo that was taken of my mother when she was just 11 years old. It was taken in 1977 in Houston, Texas. Look how she’s showing off her mane! . I love this photo because she looks […]
In 1961, my mother and father went in the photobooth at Kresge’s Department Store on Margaret St. in Plattsburgh, NY. Mom was 21 and Dad was 22. She had just come over from London, England to visit her sister at Plattsburgh Air Force Base. She got a job at Kresge’s and my father worked in […]
Meet my favorite person. (I think the world should know her, too.) . My grandmother Irene, who my sister and I called “grandrenie” because we couldn’t say grandmother Irene, was an amazing person. In fact, she was the most amazing person I have ever known. It seemed like she could do anything she set her […]
My grandfather once opened his home to a young MLK; he was jailed for it. When he delivered sermons calling for equality, the Birmingham police lined his pews to intimidate. He delivered his message just the same. He kept a secret journal on police bombings of the city’s black upper class, from 1945 to 1955; […]
We hope your weekend looks a lot like this. Yesterday marked a big birthday for my dad. As I was thinking of him, I looked through my baby book and came across this picture, which I had previously overlooked. The image was captured in 1963, and I learned that he had just come home from […]
My mom and her sister in 1936. On the back is an inscription written in pencil script by my grandmother in German. It is likely this photo was taken in northern Italy; mom told me they stayed in San Colombano. My mom, Gisella, was 8 years old when this photo was taken. Her sister, Lilly, […]
Me with my sisters Heather and Jinx, circa 1950. That building in the background was known as Oak Hill and was home to a whole slew of aunts and uncles, most of whom were living out their retirement years. Oak Hill as it was called was the main house on an old fashioned working farm. […]
My great-grandparents Edward and Matilda (pictured here) emigrated to the US from Aleppo, Syria in 1906 and 1911 respectively. In fact, all four of my great-grandparents on my father’s side came from Aleppo. Until recently, most Americans had never heard of this city in Syria. . But I grew up learning Aleppo’s rich heritage via […]
This is my favorite picture of my grandfather, Sammy. Though I was never close to him, when I see photographs of him, I feel as though I’m looking directly at my own father. Their similarities are striking, not only their appearance but their military history and their love for technology. My father believes this photograph […]
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