An Introduction to the Project
This project undertook the construction of a testimonial narrative on the immigrant experience and through a series of four face-to-face interview sessions, the project captured, understood and documented the family life and history of Jackie Homsy Okeefe. Jackie is an Arab Syrian Christian descendent whose family settled in Brooklyn, New York during the first generation of Arab immigration in the 19th Century. The nature of this community meant that Jackie was surrounded by Arab culture despite the geographical context of the United States. The richness of her upbringing has stayed with Jackie throughout her life and has helped her to navigate the changes she experienced. Within this oral history project, Jackie served as the narrator, with her role focused on highlighting the different culturally relevant moments which have stuck out to her as an Arab American.