Tony Hernandez is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, oral historian, and founder of the Immigrant Archive Project. Over the past two decades, he has dedicated his life to preserving thousands of first-person immigrant stories, ensuring that families, communities, and future generations never lose the voices that shaped them. Today he also produces private documentary films for families and founders who wish to preserve their personal histories with the care of an oral historian and the craftsmanship of cinema. In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, Tony reflects on his own journey from Cuba to the United States as a young child, the extraordinary sacrifices made by his parents and grandparents, and the unexpected role Church World Service played in helping his family begin a new life. Those early experiences became the foundation for a lifetime of listening. Our conversation explores what "home" really means when you feel both from somewhere and not entirely from there anymore. Tony shares how Steven Spielberg's Shoah interviews inspired the Immigrant Archive Project, why storytelling is fundamentally an act of respect, and how listening deeply creates spaces where people often share stories they have never told anyone before. Along the way we discuss resilience, belonging, kindness, memory, faith, identity, and why, despite today's polarized debates around migration, Tony remains convinced that we are far more alike than we are different. The episode is filled with remarkable stories, from a migrant farm worker, families rebuilding their lives after unimaginable hardship to quiet moments of hope, including a little girl learning to dance with her homeless mother under the stars. If you care about preserving family history, understanding migration beyond headlines, or simply becoming a better listener, this conversation is for you. At the end of the episode Tony answers the previous guest's question, "What's good?" and leaves a thoughtful question for the next guest, and reminds us that every life contains a story worth preserving. I forgot to ask Tony the question about a song or piece of music that represents what Tony is about. After listening to this episode, you will not be surprised that he texted me after our recording. "It would be Cecilia Cruz's La Vida es un Carnaval (Life is a Carnaval) as the song’s central message is that life inevitably contains pain, loneliness, injustice, and difficult moments, but none of those conditions is permanent. We should face adversity with hope, companionship, faith, and the determination to keep living fully. That message feels especially powerful coming from Celia Cruz. Her performance turns the song into more than cheerful advice. It’s an anthem of resilience, particularly for people who have endured displacement, loss, or hardship." Listener Engagement: Learn more about Tony and his work via his LinkedIn or his company IAP website. Also check out his SubStack. His Instagram and Facebook are also worthwhile following. Don't only listen to the song picked by Tony, but also those by other guests on our #walktalklisten playlist here. Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us: Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram. Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work. Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).
