Identity

Curated by Erica, Melissa, Citlali, Aransa

Light Panels

Dark Panels

Rain Drops

Falling down, rolling off the umbrellas which protect the kites are rain drops. Each raindrop depicts a different quote collected from the auto-ethnographic field notes or collective poetry activities which illustrates moments of vulnerability from participants. These quotes reflect and encapsulate the experiences of individuals who have been impacted by exclusionary immigration policies and the effects this has had on their sense of belonging and identity.

Kites

These kites were created during a workshop in Spring 2024, following the Building Binational Bridges Convening. This workshop was an opportunity for the participants to gather in a safe space and process their experiences on the trip. Everyone who attended created a kite collage that reflected the theme of evolving their identities. As they were creating it, they were to think about things they wanted to let go of on the trip that helped them in this journey of identity. For some, the kite symbolizes the act of letting go of labels or the baggage of their identities. For others, their kite represented the connections to people, places, and things that provided growth during their journey. In the end, the vision was to process the trip to Mexico and provide a healing space and method for unpacking the thoughts and emotions associated with that experience and how they have helped (re)shape their identity.