At Displaced Voices, the stories that excite us the most come from people whose voices often go unheard. Started with the help of La Jolla Country Day School's inaugural Susan Nordenger Endowed Fund, Displaced Voices is an oral history project that gives refugees and immigrants the chance to share their own narratives. Our project aims to counter the false and vilifying characterizations of our storytellers that are prevalent in our society. Their accounts share a common thread: the challenges they faced in integrating themselves into a society that proclaims it does not want them, and what being American means to them. Every storyteller has greatly contributed to American society in one way or another, whether that be through genocide prevention education or helping advance cases in family law courts.

While we navigate an unprecedented era in our nation’s history, our goal is to build a culture of acceptance and tolerance within our local and national community. Displaced Voices strives to highlight that the American identity reaches far beyond just those who were born within our nation’s borders. We hope that all those who take the time to listen to the stories of these extraordinary individuals come away with a broadened perspective on what it means to be American and who is included in that identity.