Mission First Housing Group

An ongoing oral history archive of Greater New Brunswick’s economically vulnerable community, including residents of Amandla Crossing and Imani Park in Edison, NJ, and participants in Middlesex County’s Consumer Participation Committee. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.

Creative projects currently being developed in response to this archive include a new play being developed by coLAB Arts’ producing director, Dan Swern, and a new artist residency with MFHG, supported in part with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Featured
Anonymous

Anonymous is a soft spoken woman who loves the arts, speaks several languages, and has deep faith. Her narration offers reflections on a traumatic childhood characterized by sexual abuse primarily perpetrated by her father, as well as moving moments of singing and vulnerability.

Grisell "Gigi" Peña

Gigi Peña currently resides at Amandla Crossing. She lost both of her parents within six months of each other due to COVID-19. Gigi talks about growing up in Cuba under Fidel Castro, major life changes, and her love for her family. She also discusses several of her and her family’s experiences after they migrated to the US.

Anonymous

Anonymous charts her life beginning with growing up in India, studying in Pune, where she received her MBA, the story of her marriage, and what has happened since moving to the US. She worked at a prominent newspaper in advertising and marketing, worked in HR, and has also experienced being unhoused.