The object I chose to talk about is my grandfather’s portrait of “The Last Supper.” In this picture, Jesus shares His last meal with his disciples before He is arrested, tortured, and ultimately killed. My dad’s family is from Vietnam; after the Vietnam War, my grandfather was arrested by the Northern, Communist Vietnamese government for openly supporting South Vietnam and the United States’ support. Because of this and of the many events happening around him, my grandfather believed the best course of action for his family’s survival was to escape Vietnam and go to America in order to be safer and have more opportunities. His eleven children, including my ten year old father, were sent away from Vietnam through many different escape means, and they all eventually made it to America, though my grandparents were forced to stay behind. They were not able to reunite with their children until ten years later. My grandparents believed in Roman Catholicism; one of the most popular Vietnamese Catholic traditions is to keep many religious icons (pictures, statues, etc.) around their house. This portrait was one of the many icons adorning my grandparents’ home, and after their passing, it was inherited by my father, which my family keeps at home in their memory.

– BT.

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