Your Story, My Story


These blankets represent my great grandmas struggle on her long journey from Kansas City Missouri to California in 1955. This was used to comfort my great grandma and grandpa on the long bus ride from Kansas city, Missouri to California which took 1 day and 12 hours on the bus. When my great grandma and grandpa was leaving Kansas city to move to California they had to leave two of their children with my grandma’s parents. Back then there were no cell phones to keep the line of communication open , so the only way she could contact her kids was through a phone booth. They were coming to california to get a new life. They only came to California for a few months and after they got they stuff together they went back to get their two kids and came back to California. After they established a new life in california, 4 years later they decided to take a vacation to Tijuana, Mexico. My grandma had gotten with my great aunt. 9 months of being in Tijuana my great grandma had gotten in labor with my aunt and she delivered my aunt in Tijuana and 2 days after, they ended their vacation and finally went back home to california. Even though my great aunt was born in Tijuana she is still a citizen of the USA but her birth certificate was complicated. Sometimes i’m feeling blue I wrap myself up with my grandma’s blanket or as I call her (gg ma) and I feel the joy being brought back into my body/ soul. So that blanket is a comfort to me just as it was a comfort to my grandma and grandpa on their trip to California. This is why this blanket represents my family.

– Ivan Williams

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more