“Telling a story you think only you feel, three other people say, ‘Oh you feel like that? I thought only I felt like that.’ Then we discover that it’s in some ways about power or injustice. Together we can change that.”
— Gloria Steinem
 
 
 

Episode 9: Wandering in the Desert

Art Acevedo reads the story of Laura Peniche. Musical guest Spirit of Grace responds.

Art Acevedo is an American police officer who has served as the chief of police for the cities of Houston, Austin and Miami. He reads the story of a young mother with DACA, Laura Peniche, and her attempt to help her fellow Christians understand the impact of anti-immigrant policies on undocumented families. Episode details and transcript.

 
 
 
 
 

Episode 8: This Beautiful Dark Brown Skin

Patrisse Cullors reads the story of Armando Peniche. Musical guest Ron Miles responds. Poetic response by Dominique Christina.

Co-founder of Black Lives Matter Patrisse Cullors reads Armando Peniche’s story of the racial profiling he experienced as a 12-year old boy and the danger slanderous rhetoric of mythic criminality poses to the undocumented Mexican community and his own young American son. Episode details and transcript.

 
 
 

Episode 7: Checkpoint at Fantasyland

Ai-jen Poo reads the story of Victor Galvan
Musical Guest Las Cafeteras responds

Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Ai-jen Poo, reads Victor Galvan's story about the overwhelming human rights challenges facing the immigrant community and his insistence, despite his fear and the obstacles ahead, of manifesting his American Dream. Episode details and transcript

 

Episode 6: Listen to Your Heart

Maria Hinojosa reads the story of Tania Chairez
Musical Guest Arturo O’Farrill responds

Maria Hinojosa is the lead anchor and executive producer of Latino USA, and the founder of Futuro Media. She reads the story of Tania Chairez - a social entrepreneur and Motus staff member who grew up undocumented in Arizona - sharing her struggle to protect good parents, just like her own, from the attacks against the immigrant community. Episode details and transcript

 

Episode 5: The Most Beautiful Monument

John Lithgow reads the story of Irving Reza
Musical Guest Neil Young responds

Award-winning actor, author, musician and singer, John Lithgow, reads the story of Irving Reza, a DACAmented political science major who uses humor to negotiate the fear of passing through immigration checkpoints and his deepening reverence for the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Episode details and transcript

 

Episode 4: Deport Me

José Andrés reads the story of Alejandro Fuentes-Mena
Musical Guest Ozomatli responds

José Andrés is an internationally-recognized culinary innovator, New York Times bestselling author, educator, television personality, humanitarian, and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup. He reads Alejandro Fuentes-Mena’s story of his hard working parents and celebrates the assets he and his family are to our country. Episode details and transcript

Episode 3: I Was Made for the Light

Nicholas Kristof reads the story of Reydesel Salvidrez-Rodriguez
Musical Guest Arturo O’Farrill responds

Nicholas Kristof is an American journalist and political commentator. A winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, he is a regular CNN contributor and writes an op-ed column for The New York Times. He reads the story of Reydesel Salvidrez-Rodriguez, a legally deaf undocumented young man who was on the verge of killing himself before the DACA program was created that gave temporary legal status to undocumented young people brought to the U.S. before age 16 by their parents. Episode details and transcript

Episode 2: Returning Home

Gloria Steinem reads the story of Kiara Chavez
Musical guest Jennifer Berezan responds

Activist and writer, Gloria Steinem reads Kiara Chavez’s story about the obstacles immigration policy has placed between herself and who and what she loves. She tells a tender story of flying home to Mexico for the first time since she was age four to see her ailing grandmother. Episode details and transcript

Episode 1: The Meaning of Courage

Jorge Ramos reads the story of Cristian Solano-Córdova
Musical Guests Yo-Yo Ma & Kathryn Stott respond

Jorge Ramos, often referred to as the "The Walter Cronkite of Latin America" and an Emmy-award winning news anchor for Univision, reads Cristian Solano-Córdova’s story of strategizing to protect his eight-year-old sister, who is an American citizen, in the event her mother gets deported. Episode details and transcript

 
 
 
 
Excerpts of podcast interviews of Jorge Ramos with Cristian Solano-Cordova, Gloria Steinem with Kiara Chavez, and Nicholas Kristof with Reydesel Salvidrez-Rodriguez. National Leaders Step into the Shoes of Undocumented Americans in New Podcast Series, UndocuAmerica Jorge Ramos, John Lithgow, Gloria Steinem, Nicholas Kristof and Jose Andres among the leaders featured in UndocuAmerica LOS ANGELES, CA — Oct 24th, 2019, Shoebox Stories, a unique “story-holding project” of Colorado-based Motus Theater will launch UndocuAmerica, a new podcast series in which national leaders, cultural influencers, and journalists step into the shoes of 12 young undocumented Americans to read their stories to a national audience and have a conversation about the inspiration behind each story. UndocuAmerica aims to disrupt the false narratives about undocumented immigrants in the United States and instead introduce a positive narrative about the 11 million individuals who work, raise families, go to school, and have become pillars of their communities. The podcast seeks to bring these stories into the homes, offices, and public spaces of communities across the country in order to build empathy for, and understanding, of the undocumented immigrant experience among the greater American public. “This is a critical moment in our nation’s history. The horrific practices of exclusion, persecution, and family separation which defined our country during slavery, Japanese internment and the boarding of Native American children are rearing their heads again as immigrant families across our country are being persecuted everyday,” said Kirsten Wilson, creative director of UndocuAmerica. “Stories can open hearts. Millions of immigrants living and working in our country need us now to open our hearts and minds and recognize their humanity, and that is what we hope to accomplish with this podcast.” These powerful personal stories of young undocumented people touch on losing family to deportation, the experience of being rejected by the country in which you were raised, the uncertainties faced by undocumented immigrants due to the Trump administration ending DACA, the threat of human rights violations and infringement upon American civil liberties, and the contributions immigrants make to our country. The public figures who have lent their voice to this podcast include the following: Jorge Ramos, journalist and Anchor for Facebook’s Real America John Lithgow, American actor, musician, poet, author, and singer Gloria Steinem, Author and feminist activist Nicholas Kristof, New York Times Op-Ed columnist Art Acevedo, Houston Police Chief Maria Hinojosa, journalist and President of Futuro Media Jo Anne Lyon, Vice President of Wesley Seminary Jose Andres, internationally-recognized culinary innovator, New York Times bestselling author, humanitarian, and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup Musician and cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott also contributed an original recording to UndocuAmerica, which serves as the opening for the podcast. The first episode of UndocuAmerica, featuring Jorge Ramos in conversation with, and reading the story of, Christian Solano-Córdova is currently available here. “I've been reporting about immigration for more than 30 years. And I've talked to hundreds or thousands of immigrants in my life. But it's very rare when I can go beyond that first encounter and that first talk about their legal situation in which I can get into their personal story.” said Jorge Ramos while reading Christian’s story. “And this is just what happened. I think that if people in this country would listen to stories like this, and really just take a couple of minutes to digest everything that you said, it'll be a different story.” Additional episodes will be released each month through June 2020. If you are interested in learning more about the project or speaking with any of the individuals involved, please contact Kiara Chavez at info@motustheater.org ### About Shoebox Stories Shoebox Stories is a story-holding project where you gather together and stand in another person’s shoes by reading aloud their story, saying their words, and holding, for a moment, the weight that they carry. About Motus Theater The mission of Motus Theater is to create original theater to facilitate dialogue on critical issues of our time. We aim to use the power of art to build alliances across diverse segments of our community.