The act of listening, recording, and amplifying our immigrant elders’ stories and memories is a way for us to protect and uplift some of the most vulnerable members of our community. When we listen to an elder's story, we form a relationship with them. This empathetic solidarity urges us to protect and cherish them. Through this act of celebration and care, we make our elders visible and heard.

This event is a partnership between GYOPO, CULTIVALA, and SSI YA GI.

SSI YA GI x GYOPO x cultivaLA Community Story Sharing Party and Panel Discussion
This was a two-part in-person event:

• 3–5pm: We brought together elders from St. James Manor, the community of cultivaLA in MacArthur Park, students of the Koreatown Storytelling Project (KSP), and volunteers for a private meal in the cultivaLA garden. The meal, prepared by Mina and Kwang of SHIKU, honored those who shared their stories and recipes with us over the course of the past few months.

• 6–7:30pm: The wider SSI YA GI / GYOPO community was invited to join us to learn more about and to participate in this cultural memory project. Project partners engaged in a brief panel discussion, followed by a reception during which all in attendance were invited to share food memories with GYOPO and KSP volunteers who will be collecting oral histories for the SSI YA GI x GYOPO archive.

  Panelists and collaborators:
  Katherine Kim, Koreatown Storytelling Project
  Mina Park, Shiku, Baroo
  Jose Miguel Ruiz, cultivaLA
  Hannah Pae, Ssi Ya Gi, GYOPO, TERREMOTO
  Moderated by Ginny Hwang, Ssi Ya Gi, Jogamdo

Thank you to our co-hosts and sponsors: GYOPO, cultivaLA, SHIKU, KYCCLA, Koreatown Storytelling Program, Korean Community Center of the East Bay, Goodie Farm, Second Generation Seeds, and the office of Hilda L. Solis.