Angela Li
Chinatown, Immigration Social Servies Coordinator
New York, New York
Angela Li was born in New York City but sent back to Fuzhou, China, to be raised by her grandparents when she was just five months old.
Once she turned 5 years old, she was sent back to be reunited with her parents, both working in New York restaurants and factories. Suddenly, Angela felt she had done the impossible – closing the door on her childhood.
At age 24, Angela is beginning to reconcile with those abrupt moves – separation, reunion, and separation – that would turn traumatic for her. Earlier this year, Angela started an oral history project, recording interviews with her mother and father.
What did she ask them? What did they tell her? How did this interview recording process help resolve conflict with her mother? Angela says, “It was my first time seeing my mom as a human being.”
In this podcast conversation – “Find Your Roots: For Self-Healing” – Angela opens up moments that were difficult to discuss until now.
Angela Li is a civic engagement coordinator at an Immigration Social Services organization in New York City, Chinatown. Angela received her undergraduate degree in Asian American studies from UCLA. She also received her master’s degree from Columbia University with a major in American studies.
Find Your Roots is a history and culture project centering on Asian American voices, perspectives, and experiences. It is a one-on-one, in-depth podcast interview show with Asian “Roots-Finders” seeking to remember the diverse and profound influences of their parents and grandparents. This educational podcast project is designed to promote and preserve the legacy of the countless contributions—as well as forgotten struggles and sacrifices—of our ancestors who paved the way for us today
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