Good People Doing Good Things: Los Angeles High School Students Explore Immigration through Photography

A photo exhibit entitled, The Way We See It, on display at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California is on display through the end of January. The project was led in conjunction with New Technology and Carson High School and the organization Facing History and Ourselves.

Here is the background.  In fall 2008, Los Angeles high school students in a leadership program created by the national organization Facing History and Ourselves took on the subject of immigration. They learned about the history of immigration issues in the United States and their legacy today. They explored questions that each generation of Americans has asked, such as “Who lives among us?” and “What does it mean to be an American?” Finally, the participants worked with acclaimed photographer Rick Nahmias to create personal photo essays that express their perspectives on these issues, as seen through the lenses of their own, their families’, and their communities’ experiences.

Presented in association with the exhibition Becoming American, which also focuses on teenagers and immigration, the exhibition The Way We See It features a selection of photographs by the Facing History and Ourselves students. Together these images convey a powerful message: that the choices we make as individuals define our identities, shape our communities, and ultimately forge our character as a nation.

KJ