On September 14, 2018, we launched the book “America, Border, Culture Dreamer: The Young Immigrant Experience from A to Z” at The Free Library in partnership with the Office of Immigrant Affairs as the kick-off event for Welcoming Week. The book contains An Immigrant Alphabet images along with students’ personal narratives written with Wendy Ewald.
The event was attended by elementary students on a field-trip, families, and city officials. Mayor Kenney himself gave welcoming remarks showing his support for An Immigrant Alphabet saying ” When I look at this crowd, when I look at the diversity in this room, its beautiful. It is what makes this city wonderful, it makes America wonderful. And don’t let anyone tell you differently, that its only for white men, it is not, it is for all of us.”
Wendy Ewald, the author and photographer for the project explained the history of An Immigrant Alphabet saying,”The alphabet could be an effective tool to pick apart and document as inexpressible as the experience of immigration.” Students from the project also shared there experiences in a Q&A session.
“A Beautiful Collection Detailing Exquisitely a Foreigner’s Geography of their Humanity in Images Jeweled Keenly with Luminous Memories. Necessary. Original. Poetic. Questioning. Respectful. Soulful. Tender. Universal. Vibrant. Winged. Anti-Xenophobic. Youth-driven. Zealous.
―Sandra Cisneros, award-winning author of The House on Mango Street
