The object is a fragment from the Berlin Wall. My mom and my dad were both there when the wall fell, and they kept a little fragment of the wall. My parents were both born in Germany, and both grew up there, but they lived in different parts of the country in the post WWII era. My mom grew up in Berlin, in communist-controlled East Germany, while my dad grew up in Cologne, in capitalist-controlled West Germany. Due to this, they were not able to see each other much, and when they could, it was very restricted. When the wall fell, my parents could finally see each other unrestricted, and it allowed them to get married in 1993 and move to the US, eventually leading to them starting a family. It shows that America is a melting pot of many different cultures, and people from all different places and backgrounds can find their way to America and build families and communities. This story connects to immigration, since my parents immigrated to the US for the potential opportunities and education that awaited them there. It also relates to freedom, seeing that my parents grew up in the heat of the Cold War. In communist-controlled East Germany, life was very restricted, so the fall of the wall and my parents’ move to America connected us to freedom quite a bit.

– RO

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