This doll plays a big part in my music life. I love music. This doll is made to replicate Jerry Garcia, the lead singer for the band the Grateful Dead. My dad is a big fan of theirs, & he would go see as many concerts as he could when he wasn’t busy. He grew up listening to their music, & they shaped his identity. When my parents met had me & my older brother, & we were old enough to know the significance of music, he would blast Dead songs all around the house, on the back deck, in the living room, & he would open every door in the house to let the music flow back to my brother’s & my rooms. He would quiz us on the songs, asking what song it was, who was playing the guitar, & who was singing. We would almost always get the questions right. Sometimes, we would have whistling contests, which was a game we played where we would whistle a song, & then the others would try to guess it. The most popular songs for the game were “Fire on the Mountain,” & “Shakedown Street” which are both really good Dead songs. My dad doesn’t remember where he got the Jerry doll, but I’m guessing it was at a concert somewhere. He was probably too drunk on music to even remember. The doll lives in my mom's room, & the first time I saw it, I immediately knew who it was. I love it, & now whenever I see it, I remember where my dad came from, & where I am coming from, & what good music actually sounds like, because it’s easy to forget today.

– MO.

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