
In this episode, Paul speaks with Oleksandr Shyn, founder of Ukrainian Voices, which works on raising awareness and building solidarity in Taiwan about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has separated countless families such as Olek's. A fourth-generation descendant of Soviet Koreans who were deported by Stalin to Central Asia, Olek also discusses his family history and the stories of Korean diaspora in former Soviet states, including issues of language, identity, and addressing ongoing legacies of imperialism.
You can follow Oleksandr Ukrainian Voices Taiwan on social media at @olekshyn and @ukrainianvoices.tw.
This episode was recorded on June 12, 2023 and edited by Malia Lukomski.
Sep 25, 2023
1 hr 5 min

This episode was recorded at the very beginning of creating this podcast, all the way back in January 2020, right before the pandemic.
We had the opportunity to ground our podcast in its roots by speaking with Dr. Jason Ahn, who conceived of the Divided Families Film and helped start Divided Families USA. Listen to Eugene's conversation with Jason to learn about what inspired him to advocate on behalf of families separated due to the Korean War, how he managed the project while pursuing a dual degree graduate program, and how the way we see the world ultimately comes down to a simple matter of perspective.
The full Divided Families Film can be viewed for free on Youtube (https://youtu.be/u670xNcC2Is), and you can learn more about Divided Families USA at www.dfusa.org.
For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast, and contact us at [email protected]
Apr 2, 2023
45 min

In this episode, Eugene speaks with Professor Ndjuoh MehChu, an Associate Professor of Law at Seton Hall Law, about his article, "Help Me to Find My Children: A Thirteenth Amendment Challenge to Family Separation," published in the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties.
Eugene's recent student Note titled "Recognizing the Right to Family Unity in Immigration Law" can be found here: https://michiganlawreview.org/journal/recognizing-the-right-to-family-unity-in-immigration-law/
Mar 10, 2023
37 min

In this episode, Katherine speaks with Tatiana Kim, who grew up on the island of Sakhalin in Russia. Sakhalin, which is just north of Japan and east of mainland Russia, has been the subject of (and subjected to) several international conflicts. Tatiana describes the mix of Korean, Russian, and Japanese culture and language that makes it unique and results from a history of forced migration and government neglect.
Listen to Hometown Village, the episode of 99% Invisible produced by Tatiana: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/hometown-village/
Note: Katherine is an employee of Stitcher and SiriusXM, which also produces 99% Invisible. This interview was recorded prior to her hiring and her emphatic recommendation of Tatiana's episode is independent of her employment with the company.
This episode was edited by Zo Bailly and produced with the Citizen Diplomacy and Action Fund project, "Stories of Family Separation: Oral Histories of the Cold War."
Dec 15, 2022
36 min

Sera Koulabdara is the Executive Director of Legacies of War. In this episode, Eugene sits down with Sera in the beginning of a three part series with Legacies of War to provide some background on the Laos bombings conducted during the American "Secret War" on Laos and how it resulted in family separation, both for Sera's family and others.
Today, bombs remain in Laos in the form of unexploded ordnances (UXOs), which continues to pose a safety risk and makes much of the land in Laos unusable. For those interested in advocating for the removal of these bombs and providing victim assistance, here is a list of opportunities:
1. Write to Congress in support of UXO clearance, de-mining, mine risk education, and victim assistance in Southeast Asia. Legacies of War aims to send 6,000 letters to Congress from September 12-16! Together, let's raise our voices and make sure Congress knows where we stand on this important issue. Your actions will save lives. It takes 10 seconds or less to write to Congress by clicking this link: action.halousa.org/campaign/41982/
2. Write to your representatives to join the UXO de-mining caucus -- you can receive a template letter to fill out by emailing Legacies of War at www.legaciesofwar.org/who-we-are or us at [email protected]
3. Legacies of War is currently seeking endorsements for a new bill (www.legaciesofwar.org/advocacy) that will guarantee funding for the next 5 years at the $100m mark for Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. This bill is co-sponsored by Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas. To endorse the bill, follow this link: tinyurl.com/mrxd2jkf
For more on Legacies of War: https://www.legaciesofwar.org/
This episode was produced with the Citizen Diplomacy and Action Fund project, "Stories of Family Separation: Oral Histories of the Cold War."
Sep 12, 2022
34 min

Kham Moua is the Director of National Policy at Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), and in today's episode, he chats with Mai Tong Yang about about the swinging impact of American immigration policies on families who moved from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam to the U.S. in the latter part of the 1900's, many of whom arrived as refugees. To this day, numerous Asian Americans have been forced to repatriate to the countries they were born in, even those who have grown up in the U.S. and may not speak the language of the nations they're sent to. National immigration policy and changing administrations have had a huge impact on the lives of these families.
Learn more about SEARAC:
https://www.searac.org/
This episode was edited by Katherine Moncure.
Apr 14, 2022
28 min

"In Northern Ireland terms, denomination dictates identity."
In this episode, Paul speaks with Paul McLaughlin, Director of Development at Northern Ireland Mixed Marriage Association, about the long history of mixed marriages in Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland one in five marriages are mixed, but inter-church relationships are still regarded with suspicion and considered a betrayal against one's religious identity. In their chat, Paul and Paul reflect on the role that young people and education has in a country with deep religious divides and how the growing number of mixed marriages show hope for the future.
Learn more about NIMMA:
http://www.nimma.org.uk/
[email protected]
Paul McLaughlin's book, "Mixed Emotion: Real Stories of Mixed Marriage":
https://sharedfuture.news/mixed-emotions-introduction/
Recommended Viewing and Listening:
Derry Girls (Series on Netflix)
Belfast (movie)
99 Percent Invisible, Peace Lines (podcast) https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/peace-lines/
full quote from above:
Paul McLaughlin [On describing mixed marriages]: "It should really be described as an inter-church marriage. But sadly in Northern Ireland terms, denomination dictates identity, with most Protestants regarding themselves as British and most Roman Catholics regarding themselves as Irish."
This episode was edited by Helen Packer.
Mar 17, 2022
42 min

In this episode, Eugene and Paul look back on the Divided Families Podcast, two years later. The two also reflect on 2021, the current status of the Divided Families Podcast, and plans for producing Season 3 in 2022.
Thank you so much to everyone who donated so far to our fundraiser, and we would appreciate any additional support for as long as our fundraiser is live: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-divided-families-podcast?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer
For updates, follow us on Instagram at @DividedFamiliesPodcast. You can also contact us with any questions or suggestions for Season 3 at [email protected] or on any of our social media pages.
Jan 1, 2022
45 min

Halfway through his ten-year ban from the United States, Adam Crapser has been thrust into public attention again with the release of Justin Chon's movie "Blue Bayou." The film has striking similarities to Adam's own life story, blasphemed as a heartfelt tragedy of Adam's personal trauma.
In this episode, Adam sits down with DFP team member Mailé to talk about Adam's story of family separation and the oversight of non-adoptees surrounding the realities and trauma of adoption. Adam talks candidly about being deported to Korea, and how he's making the best of his situation by using his platform to call for change.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
https://nakasec.org/
https://adopteesforjustice.org/
Adoptee Citizenship Act 2021:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/967
Why Do People Keep Finding Their Lives Onscreen Without Their Consent? by Peter Kim George: https://hyperallergic.com/683606/blue-bayou-controversy/
This episode was edited by Mailé Nguyen.
Nov 18, 2021
46 min

"Kill the Indian, save the man" was a mantra propagated by General Richard H. Pratt, who famously established a model for Native Residential Schools that tore Native children away from their families and cultures.
Brayden Sonny White is Kanien'kehá:ka from the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, and member of the Bear Clan. He is an advocate for suicide prevention and mental health resources for Native youth. He was named a Champion for Change in 2016 by the Center for Native American Youth.
In this episode, Brayden and Paul talk about the repercussions and intergenerational trauma passed down as a result of Residential Schools. Brayden shares more on the forced adoption of Native children—known as the Sixties Scoop—and the PTSD resulting from discriminatory policies and involuntary family separation in the US and Canada.
Read "Our Long History of Family Separation" written by Brayden Sonny White:
https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/our-long-history-of-family-separation/
Read more about the 751 Unmarked Graves discovered at a residential school in Canada in 2021:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57592243
Movies mentioned in episode:
Indian Horse (2017)
Wind River (2017)
Additional Resources:
Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Metis, and Inuit issues in Canada - Chelsea Vowel
The Marrow Thieves - Cherie Dimaline
Boarding School Seasons - Brenda J. Child
Custer Died for Your Sings - Vine Deloria Jr.
Red Alert! - Daniel Wildcat
Our Live Among the Iroquois Indians - Harriet S. Caswell
Indigenous Nationhood - Pamela Palmater
Indian Giver: How Native Americans Transformed the World - Jack Weatherford
Indian Resilience and Rebuilding: Indigenous Nations in the Modern American West - Donald L. Fixico
This episode was edited by Helen Packer.
Nov 4, 2021
53 min
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