Documenting the Undocumented on KHSU radio

Undocumented immigrants will have the opportunity to share their stories through a new radio series, Immigrant Voices, broadcasting soon on KHSU and Radio Bilingüe. James Floss, lecturer in communication at Humboldt State University, will be producing the studio recordings.

“I hope listeners will understand that a document is a piece of paper, and the people who don’t have that document are your neighbors,” Floss said. “They’re woven into the thread of our community and our society, and I want them to have a safe place to tell their story.”

“I hope listeners will understand that a document is a piece of paper, and the people who don’t have that document are your neighbors,” Floss said. “They’re woven into the thread of our community and our society, and I want them to have a safe place to tell their story.”

Floss is seeking participants, especially DREAMers and DACA students at HSU, to share their experiences in this country: how they arrived in the U.S., their joys and hardships, the uncertainty of their present and future and any other topic of their choosing. Stories will be accepted in English or Spanish and volunteers are still needed to help with translation.

“I hear these stories, and of course, it’s in the news, and right now the DREAMers are being used as political footballs, and it’s just not fair,” Floss said.

Anyone interested in participating can now submit stories that will begin airing this month. The stories would be told anonymously using fake names to protect the identity of contributors. Floss plans to record stories using either original voices or the narration of proxy actors. He anticipates that most segments will be under five minutes. Longer, unedited segments will be posted online at http://khsu.org/programs/immigrant-voices#stream/0

There are several ways to get involved with this project: 1) e-mail your story in English or Spanish to voces@ khsu.org, 2) leave your story through private voicemail at 707-633-9092,
and 3) e-mail or call to volunteer as a translator (specify language).

As a poet, Floss was recently inspired to compose this original piece regarding his thoughts about the DREAMers.