What If We Put Children First? Migration, Trauma, and Education with Harvard's Dr. Gabrielle Oliveira
Art Heals All Wounds
03/05/26
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What really drives families to make the dangerous journey to the United States? And what happens to them — especially their children — after surviving detention and family separation at the border?
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Gabrielle Oliveira, Jorge Paulo Lemann Associate Professor of Education and Brazil Studies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Gabrielle's new book, Now We Are Here: Family Migration, Children's Education, and Dreams for a Better Life, documents the lives of 16 families from Central and South America who experienced detention and separation at the US border in 2018 and 2019 — and how they rebuilt their lives afterward.
Gabrielle shares how she spent three years building deep, trust-based relationships with these families, and why that kind of research — done with people, not on them — matters so much. We explore the surprising role that the dream of an American education plays in the decision to migrate, why children process trauma so differently than adults, and what a truly equitable, child-centered classroom might look like.
We also discuss a quietly unforgettable moment: a first-grade morning meeting where two children, asked what they wanted for lunch, spontaneously connected over eating frozen burritos in an immigration detention center — and what that reveals about how trauma lives in children's bodies and memories.
Gabrielle's core message is both simple and urgent: what if we made policy — immigration policy, education policy — by putting all children first?
Now We Are Here is available at your local independent bookstore, on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or directly from Stanford University Press. Find Gabrielle on Instagram and at gabrielleoliveira.com.
[00:00:12] Intro — "Do you believe art can change the world?"
[00:00:48] Pam introduces the topic — migrant family detention and separation at the border
[00:01:48] Introduction of Dr. Gabrielle Oliveira and her book Now We Are Here
[00:04:06] Interview begins — Gabrielle describes her book and the 16 families she documented
[00:05:14] Discussion of research methodology — doing research with people, not on them
[00:08:28] Gabrielle reflects on being an immigrant herself and how trust is built over time
[00:10:04] How the book idea originated and how the research focus evolved
[00:13:57] Education as a driving force behind migration — beyond just fleeing hardship
[00:15:12] Moving past the "suffering subject" narrative — immigrant families and the desire for an ordinary life
[00:19:20] How trauma affects three groups differently — parents, teachers, and children
[00:23:03] The fajita/burrito story — how a first-grade morning meeting unlocked detention memories
[00:28:19] How teachers respond to children's trauma — and why "that's in the past" doesn't work
[00:33:29] Imagining a more equitable, trauma-informed classroom
[00:38:24] The problem with over-structured early childhood education and the loss of play
[00:42:08] Gabrielle's wish list — what she hopes readers take away from the book
[00:45:43] Where to find the book and follow Gabrielle's work
[00:47:06] Pam's closing reflections and outro
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Previous Episode
What if the arts weren't just entertainment — but medicine? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Daisy Fancourt, one of the world's most cited scientists and author of Art Cure, about the growing body of research showing that creative engagement — music, dance, visual art — can reduce the risk of depression, slow dementia, help Parkinson's patients maintain motor function, and even slow biological aging. Daisy also shares personal stories, including her own daughter's recovery in the NICU, and practical tips for incorporating the arts into daily life.
- 00:00 — Intro & Pam's personal story: moving to Arkansas and witnessing the lingering divide of a recently desegregated school
- 01:39 — The music class that changed everything: Mrs. Gilbert and the upright piano
- 02:38 — Introducing today's guest, Dr. Daisy Fancourt
- 04:10 — Interview begins
- 04:47 — Why reading Art Cure kept Pam up at night
- 05:34 — "We are a planet of 8 billion artists" — we are all innately creative
- 06:37 — The "seatbelt moment": when art becomes as automatic as putting on the seatbelt in the car
- 08:01 — The many ways art affects our health: wellbeing, prevention, and treatment
- 09:58 — Daisy's background: from professional pianist to professor at UCL
- 11:41 — Arts on prescription and individual stories from the book
- 12:23 — Josh's story: cerebral palsy, magic camp, and the Magic Circle
- 14:32 — Emily's story: how magic gave a shy girl her voice
- 15:27 — Daisy's personal story: singing to her premature daughter in the NICU
- 18:50 — Dance and Parkinson's disease: what the studies show
- 21:29 — How music affects the brain — and slows aging
- 22:51 — Music, language acquisition, and why we sing to babies
- 26:08 — "Spit Girl": Daisy's PhD in psychoneuroimmunology and saliva research
- 29:09 — Drumming circles and the visceral power of rhythm
- 30:32 — Why your favorite genre is the healthiest music for you
- 33:10 — Elevator music, Muzak, and why grocery store playlists keep you shopping
- 35:12 — Threats to arts funding in the UK and US — and the economic case for the arts
- 37:42 — Practical tips for incorporating art into your daily life
- 39:39 — Why art binges don't work — and what does
- 41:04 — Where to find Art Cure and follow Daisy's research
- 42:24 — Closing thoughts: how arts education broke down barriers in school
Follow Daisy's Work!
Reach Pam at arthealsallwoundspodcast.com
Next Episode
In this episode, I speak with artist, curator, and author Barbara Benish about her book ArtMill: A Story of Sustainable Creativity in Bohemia — a hopeful, timely memoir about artistic resistance, creative community, and rebuilding culture after totalitarianism.
In This Episode:
- [0:12] Host Pam Uzzell introduces the episode, reflecting on fear of communist countries during the Cold War and how that connects to today's political climate in the US
- [2:34] Introduction to Barbara Benish's book ArtMill: A Story of Sustainable Creativity in Bohemia and why it feels especially relevant now
- [3:49] Barbara describes her memoir — from leaving California as a young artist to integrating into Cold War Czechoslovakia, working with underground artists, and eventually founding a rural arts center
- [6:14] Growing up in Southern California with Czech immigrant heritage, witnessing the Soviet invasion of Prague in 1968, and losing connection to the Czech language
- [7:42] Crossing the Iron Curtain as a young American backpacker — navigating fear, border crossings, and Cold War propaganda
- [10:41] Connecting with dissident artists in Prague — serendipity, secret networks, and the surveillance state
- [12:08] Life under the secret police — being followed, bugged venues, and how artists developed coded communication to resist oppression
- [13:53] Barbara's frustration with the commercialization of art in 1980s Los Angeles and what drew her to the underground art scene in Czechoslovakia
- [15:14] The Art Dialogue exchange — bringing together LA and Czech artists during the Cold War and the challenges of mounting a cross-cultural exhibition under an authoritarian regime
- [16:57] The Velvet Revolution of 1989 — why it's also called the Artist Revolution, the role of playwright-turned-president Václav Havel, and lessons from The Power of the Powerless for democracy today
- [21:47] Buying the Červený Mlýn (Red Mill) in rural Bohemia — a $17,000 ruin, a leap of faith, and the beginning of a new life
- [26:28] Renovating the mill, building a rural arts community, and the reality behind the romance
- [27:46] ArtMill today — artist residencies, children's programs, university study abroad, and regenerative creativity in rural Central Europe
- [29:12] Art as sustainability — how creative practice connects to environmental stewardship, indigenous ways of knowing, and regenerative living
- [34:42] What today's political resistance in the US has in common with Cold War Czechoslovakia — and what comes after resistance
- [38:45] Barbara reads a moving passage from ArtMill about climate, beauty, dignity, and hope for future generations
- [40:35] Where to find Barbara Benish, upcoming California readings, and how to get the book
Resources & Links:
- Barbara Benish's website: barbarabenish.com
- ArtMill: A Story of Sustainable Creativity in Bohemia — published by New Village Press, distributed by NYU
- Art Heals All Wounds Podcast: arthealsallwoundspodcast.com
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