This is a picture of my father's side of the family. It features my grandparents, two aunties, uncle, and my father (the youngest kid in the picture). My grandparents were originally from Taishan, in the Guangdong province of southern China, but moved to Hong Kong in the midst of World War II to escape the Japanese invasion of mainland China. In the 70's my great grandfather, who had already immigrated to New York, sent money for my grandfather to bring his family over. In New York my grandparents and great-grandfather raised my father, uncle, and aunties in a small apartment located at 99 Allen St Chinatown. Although the tenement was quite small, and all 4 siblings shared a cramped room my grandparents always recalled this period of time as some of the happiest moments in their lives. My dad remembers how he grew up listening to The Beatles, how his dad brought him to Mets baseball games, and the entire family going to the movies every Sunday for a matinee. All these happy memories resurface when they see this picture, it's the first family photo they took in America, and it still sits on my grandma's bedside table. 

– Katlyn Ma

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant