Suitcase Stories

Suitcase Stories® is a signature program of the International Institute of New England. It raises the profile of refugees and immigrants while strengthening community through the art of storytelling.

Launched in 2016, Suitcase Stories began as a traveling live performance series featuring foreign and U.S.-born residents sharing powerful refugee and immigrant stories. Since its initial year, the initiative has expanded to include programming customized for community partners. To date, more than 3,000 people have enjoyed a mainstage performance and thousands more have watched a taped episode on PBS television. The response from those audience members spoke of how the performance challenged and expanded their perceptions of refugees and immigrants.