Scenes of Southwest
A photo story from the Fences: Faces of Migration Photojournalism Workshop
I lived and attended high school in a neighborhood that has Michigan’s highest population of Hispanics and a healthy percentage of that population is living undocumented. I have close friends and strong ties to the community so I have witnessed firsthand the plight of migrants and their children. Our community would be considered low income and working class, and it is burdened by gang activity, arson and partial neglect from the local government.
However, I have never seen a neighborhood with such communal perseverance. It is hard to explain in words because it’s one of those things that you just have to see for yourself to understand. The citizens work so hard to improve not only their way of life, but also their physical landscape. I’ve met so many hardworking people that have faced so many traumatizing adversities and yet remain unwavering in the pursuit of their dreams. The people I've come across still possess their humanity in a way that not many of us would be able to do after such hardship. I could happily write a myriad of pages about the people of this community, but I really wanted to show, through my photography, the reality of what it is like living as an undocumented migrant.
Many members of the community feel that although they were born in the U.S., they are confined into a smothering, social cubicle because their parents have been labeled “illegal”. At times, it was difficult to photograph in the area because of the high tension caused by the fear that hangs over neighborhoods like this. People are terrified of being reported and torn apart from the life they’ve fought so hard to build here. Therefore, it is a sensitive matter that has to be dealt with using a gentle approach, and even then, some still do not agree to participate because of the risk involved. Despite my involvement within the community, I am still seen as an American and therefore, a possible threat.
For me, this photo story is just the beginning of a much more substantial body of work that I will continue to excavate and exhibit until the American people and our government in particular begin to rethink the fences they erect and recognize the marginalized faces of migration.
Photos and Story by Clarissa Williams
