Stories
These stories were collected as part of the Centre College HT94 project and originally shared on the Migrant Childhoods Instagram page.
The artwork was created by students in the class as a reflection on the HT94 project.
“My parents are immigrants. Although I was born here, I too deal with the challenges that they face. I live in constant fear for my parents. They have built their whole lives here and could be kicked out in an instant. Immigrants face constant judgment for being here, even just existing. But we are not the problem, the real problem is this system that causes immigrants to make the decision to flee their homes and cross the border.”
- We Are Humans And Deserve To Be Accepted!
"We have family friends who came illegally from Oaxaca, Mexico who were escaping a cartel. The body of a family member was placed on their doorstep as a warning to them. They fled and our family helped them after we met. A few years later they had to go back and we feared for their safety. The father has returned, but his family remains in Mexico.”
- No Human is illegal!
“The American immigration system is incredibly flawed. There are so many barriers for us, even if our status within the country is legal and it is so frustrating. Lots of times, perhaps without realizing, people judge the character of immigrants through how they got to the United States or why they haven’t “legalized themselves” without knowing how hard it is to actually do so, or how much we’ve all been through just to be where we are today, and I don’t think that gets talked about enough. We all just need a little more empathy.”
- I’m Sorry :( You’re Not Being Forgetten❤️
“My dad crossed the border when he was 17. He could’ve easily been one of those bodies. I wouldn’t be where I am if he didn’t make it.”
- Immigrant Choices Should be Heard!
“My mom was arrested by an ICE officer when crossing the Mexican border. She stayed in jail for 6 months where all the immigrants were abused and tortured daily.”
- Immigrants Make America Great!
