Dreams of Yesterday

"My father came from Guangdong province in 1983. He was 22 and spoke no English. His first job was in a garment factory in Chinatown — twelve hour days, six days a week. He has one story about his first week. He got lost on the bus, ended up in the wrong neighborhood, and a stranger who spoke Cantonese walked him all the way back. He says that stranger saved his life. When Dreams of Yesterday played on the TV, my father leaned forward and pointed at the screen. He said something in Cantonese I didn't understand. My mother translated: 'That's exactly what it looked like.' He said it like he couldn't believe someone had finally seen it."

"My mother is 84 and grew up in rural Georgia. She has this story about learning to make biscuits from her grandmother at 6 years old — the exact feel of the dough, her grandmother's hands, the wood stove. She's told it a hundred times. When we watched the Dreams of Yesterday video at Christmas, she went completely quiet. Then she said 'that's exactly what the kitchen looked like.' She hadn't seen that kitchen in 78 years."

"My grandfather played semi-pro baseball in 1958. He talks about one specific game — bases loaded, two outs, last inning, hit a double that won the championship. Nobody believed the story after 60 years of telling it. The Dreams of Yesterday video showed a dusty summer baseball field, a young man rounding second base. My grandfather watched it and just said 'that's exactly how it felt.' That's all he said. That was enough."

"My abuela came from Cuba in 1962. She was 19. She has one story about the night she left — what she packed, what she left behind, what her mother said at the door. We've heard it our whole lives. When Dreams of Yesterday brought it to life, my mother started crying before it was halfway through. My abuela watched calmly. When it ended she said 'now you will remember it correctly.' That's the whole product right there."