The Way We See It: L.A. Teens on Immigration

Facing History students' classroom project results in a photography exhibition on view at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles

In the fall of 2008, 73 Los Angeles area high school students participated in a Facing History leadership program designed to develop the students' civic leadership through an exploration of contemporary issues. In the first year of our leadership program in L.A. they took on the subject of immigration. They explored questions that each generation of Americans has asked, such as "Who may live among us?" "Who may become American," and "What does it mean to be an American?"

During their U.S. history classes, the students from New Tech and Carson High Schools experienced an in-depth Facing History unit where they learned about the history of immigration in the United States and the legacies for today. Facing History Program Associate Talma Shultz worked with teachers Sasha Guzman and Sally Zuniga from New Tech and Merri Weir from Carson to develop the unit. The students also worked with acclaimed photographer Rick Nahmias to create a photojournalism exhibition to be on view at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles November 25, 2008 through January 25, 2009. Nahmias is best known for documenting the lives and struggles of numerous marginalized communities, including The Migrant Project.

The students come from diverse backgrounds. Many are immigrants themselves, or have parents or grandparents who immigrated to the U.S. During the project, what the students discovered about themselves and each other often surprised them and challenged their assumptions.

The exhibition The Way We See It features a selection of photographs by the students and their accompanying essays that express their perspectives on immigration, as seen through the lenses of their own, their families', and their communities' experiences. The themes explored in this exhibition were developed by the students and reflect how they personally connected to the topic. Questions such as: "What is the role of first generation Americans in immigrant families?" "How do you negotiate multiple identities? What is the nature of work for immigrant families?" and "How do immigrants build community and hold onto their culture?

The Way We See It opened with a Community Conversation presented in partnership with The Allstate Foundation on December 2nd. NPR's Scott Simon spoke about his experiences and reporting on immigration and interviewed some of the students whose work is featured. Those stories included "Mexican, American?" which depicts a photograph of two young women dressed in festive traditional Mexican attire. (pictured) Students Evelyn Hernandez and Martha Martinez explored the struggle immigrants face to balance both their American and Mexican cultures, and challenged the viewer to question whether they could see beyond stereotypes.

• Listen to Scott Simon's Weekend Edition interview with the students
• Watch a slideshow of the exhibition
• Visit our immigration resources page
• Visit the exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center
• Read press
• Watch KNBC news piece