Where do you call home? How many times have you moved? What languages do you use in your household? What languages do you use outside of home?

In an interview following his presentation at the 2016 Folklife Festival’s On the Move: Migration and Immigration Today tent, Joel attempted to trace the flux of emotions he experienced as a young Jewish boy in Germany.

Nestled between two bustling areas—food concessions and the Sounds of California—the On the Move: Migration and Immigration Today tent engaged visitors in conversations beyond the polarizing political debates currently taking place within our society.

During the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, I had the opportunity to share my story of citizenship. As I showed my Certificate of Citizenship to the audience, I was reminded of why it is one of my most prized possessions.

In May, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center presented a two-day event, CrossLines: A Culture Lab on Intersectionality, in the Arts and Industries Building.

Gentrification: the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents. (Merriam-Webster)

I came to the United States from Pakistan in 1964 for graduate studies at University of Maryland, College Park.

The 2016 Smithsonian Folklife Festival began on June 29 with a ceremony in the Smithsonian’s newly reopened Arts and Industries Building.

Social Explorer created custom data maps to tell the story of America’s immigrant heritage for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival On the Move: Migration and Immigration Today.

The Folklife Festival continued today with beautiful weather, energetic group dances, mouth-watering cooking demonstrations, and much more.