Empowering
Story
tellers
In session with
Yosimar Reyes
Meet Your Guide
Key Learnings
Storytelling Is a Form of Power
Stories shape how the world sees us—and how we see ourselves. When we tell our own stories, we protect the truth, honor our communities, and shift narratives from one of survival to one of self-definition.
Speak Your Truth as You Know It to Be
Authenticity is your greatest strength. Tell your story in your own language, rhythm, and emotion—without waiting for permission or validation.
Shift Away From Survival to Self-Definition
Our stories are not just about hardship; they’re about imagination, joy, and legacy. Move beyond stories of struggle to ones that redefine what it means to belong.
The Power of Now
Key Learnings
Take Ownership of Your Story
Every story told is a contribution to the public record. When immigrants tell their own stories, they’re not just resisting erasure; they're writing themselves into the American archive.
Build a Sustainable Storytelling Practice
Storytelling is long-term work. Ground your art in care, reflection, and community so it sustains you—and the people it reaches—for years to come.
→ Explore: American Dreaming: The Road to Resilience for Undocumented Storytellers
Resilience Is Beautiful
Transformation doesn’t always look like protest—it can look like joy, tenderness, and creation. When we lead with art and imagination, we expand the possibilities of what resistance can feel like.
Yosimar Reyes on Define American with Jose Antonio Vargas
Seizing the Moment
Key Learnings
Create Work That Reclaims and Redefines
Storytelling can reframe how immigrants are perceived. shifting narratives from stereotypes to self-definition. Create art that honors where you come from and reimagines what’s possible.
Find the Confidence to Perform Your Story.
Stories aren't always meant to stay on the page—they're meant to be lived, spoken, and felt. Bringing your story to life turns words into presence, transforming personal truth into a shared experience. Whether on stage, on camera, or online, performance makes our stories undeniable.
Create With and For Your Community
Storytelling isn’t a solo act; it’s a conversation. Share your work with the people who shaped you, and create stories that reflect collective memory, not just individual experience. When we tell our stories together, we expand what belonging looks like.
About
Expert Insights
Finding Your Path
Julie Kim discusses how music has set her free and how she uses performing to contribute to the story of America.
Storytelling with Authenticity
Playwright and Storyteller Christopher Moncayo-Torres shares what it means to claim space through narrative, remaining unapologetic, joyful, and true.
Working Across Disciplines
Filmmaker and visual artists, Nicole Solis-Sison, shares how she builds a multidisciplinary practice focused on sustainability across art, media and film industries.
Preserving Yourself
Artist and writer Féi Iká Shumarí shares tools for preserving yourself.
The more
we care the stronger we
become