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Blog → January 19, 2021

The Story of Our Journey: Phoenix, AZ Showing on Friday, January 22, 2021

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After two successful online showings in 2020, the commissioner of the the project, The City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, will be showing The Story of Our Journey on their YouTube channel here at 5pm Mountain Time on January 22nd. The showing will be embedded at this site for your convenience, or you may interact directly with the video on YouTube during the performance.

WATCH HERE

Later this year, we are excited for the live premiere and performances at academic and other institutions across the United States and internationally when it is safe to do so. If you are interested in the making of the video, the use of audio footage, and the coordination of events please contact us.

Innocence in a camp
Elisabeth
Large Ali 2016
Screen Shot 2020 10 05 at 8 58 45 PM
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ABOUT THE WORK

The Story of Our Journey recounts the journey of refugees worldwide through personal experiences of individuals interviewed by Their Story is Our Story (TSOS), and was done in collaboration with Dylan Findley, the composer, and Csaba Jevtic-Somlai, the principle clarinet in the project. This multimedia composition recounts the escape from homelands to foreign lands. The beginning of the piece places the viewer as a bystander to the interviewing process and takes them on a journey through why the individual refugees had to leave, their struggle along the journey and during arrival in new lands, to their hopes for the future and belonging in their new homes.

MOVEMENTS

  1. ”So…”(Introduction)
  2. ”An Opportunity”- Rhenald and Felix Cross the Sahara Desert
  3. “I Counted Them Myself”- Ali and Zarrin Leave Afghanistan
  4. “The Water We Drink”- Eduardo, Adriana, and Elizabeth Flee Gangs; An Account of Refugees’ Travel Through Foreign Lands.
  5. “Go, Go, Go!”-Rhenald and Felix Leave Libya; Zerrin Crosses the Sea
  6. “Deep in My Heart”- Rohingya Children Sing and Play with Interviewers; Elizabeth, Eduardo, and Adrianna Pass Through U. S. Immigration Control
  7. “Still Looking”- Refugees Seek Stability and Integration
Other Posts

Official Statement on the Shooting of the Members of the National Guards

December 1, 2025

Official Statement on the FY2026 Refugee Admissions Cap and Prioritization of White South Africans

November 17, 2025

Alone in America: The Immigration System Through a Child's Eyes

October 30, 2025
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What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2024, more than 123.2 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, persecution, or human rights abuses.

An increase of 7.2 million over 2023, that’s more than 19,619 people every day — roughly one person every 4.4 seconds.

They arrive in refugee camps and other countries, like the US, seeking the one thing they’ve lost: safety.

Fleeing political imprisonment, ethnic violence, religious persecution, gang threats, or war crimes, they come with what little they managed to carry:

Legal papers – if they’re lucky.

A single backpack.

Sometimes a child’s hand in theirs.

They also carry the weight of what they left behind: fractured families, homes they’ll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

They carry loss most of us can’t imagine – but also the truth of what they’ve endured.

At TSOS, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares their experience of forced displacement, they reclaim their voice. And when we amplify that voice – through film, photography, writing, and advocacy – the world listens. Hearts soften. Communities open. Policy begins to shift.

That shift matters. Because when neighbors understand instead of fear…

when lawmakers see people, not politics…

when a teacher knows what her student has survived…

Rebuilding life from the ashes becomes possible.

We’re fighting an uphill battle. In today’s political climate, refugee stories are often twisted or ignored. They’re reduced to statistics, portrayed as national threats, or used to score political points.

The truth – the human, nuanced truth – gets lost, and when it does, we lose compassion.

We are here to share their truth anyway.

At TSOS, we don’t answer to headlines or algorithms. We are guided by a simple conviction: every person deserves to be seen, heard, and welcomed.

Our work is powered by the people we meet — refugees and asylum seekers rebuilding after loss, allies offering sanctuary, and communities daring to extend belonging.

Your support helps us share their stories — and ensure they’re heard where they matter most.

“What ultimately persuaded the judge wasn’t a legal argument. It was her story.”

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, TSOS

Will you help us keep telling the truth?

No donation is too small — and it only takes a minute of your time.

Why give monthly?

We value every gift, but recurring contributions allow us to plan ahead and invest more deeply in:

  • New refugee storytelling and advocacy projects
  • Resources to train and equip forcibly displaced people to share their own stories
  • Public education that challenges fear with empathy
  • Local efforts that help communities welcome and integrate newcomers

As our thank-you, monthly supporters receive fewer fundraising messages — and more stories of the impact they’re making possible.

You don’t have to be displaced to stand with those who are.

Can you give today — and help carry these stories forward?

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Their Story is Our Story is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization under the United States Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax-deductible. Our tax identification number is 812983626.