In the Spring of 2022, I was introduced to a group of Chinese-speaking older adults who had been living at NYCHA Baruch Houses in Two Bridges for the last 20 years. It’s a unique community hailing from over 15+ cities across China. Every week, we met in a courtyard outside of their building and exchanged stories about everything from favorite childhood snacks to evolving friendship dynamics to the difficulties of applying to public housing. For the next three months, we navigated our conversations in Cantonese, Mandarin, Fuzhounese, and Taishanese – with each participant translating as the other shared.

Many participants found similar threads in their stories, like working long hours at garment factories in Lower Manhattan (before they were shut down after 9/11) or cramming for their citizenship exams in between work shifts. Others reflected on their journey from their first arrival in the U.S. to retirement in NYC now. We had over 20+ consistent storytellers partake in the sessions.