I look down at this grass, fists folded. All around me is darkness, solitude, and silence. A dense air hangs –pushing me down. This oppressive atmosphere of judgment leaves me isolated and alone, That's what they think. With their insolent fabrications struggling to subdue me. They cannot fathom my strength to stand tall and breath.

portrait of Casper Rodriguez by Desiree Ramirez / circa 2016 

This portrait is of Jacy Mendoza as she holds a digital photograph of her father who lives in Mexico. When this portrait was taken she was living in Crookston, attending school and working, while her father lived and worked in Mexico. They talked regularly via zoom. Separated by the southern border, they remain a family.

portrait of Jaquelyn Mendoza by Xavier Tavera / circa 2014 

You talk so easily about building walls to protect our nation from what you claim to be a national threat. Stop using your outdated stereotypes of our Latino cultures and nationalities as a weapon to divide our nation. You and your words put us in danger creating a threat that does not exist. So STOP IT! STOP IT!!

digital self portrait by Chris Espericueta / circa 2018 

Eva Mendez was born in Crookston in 1944 and lived most of her life there. She graduated from Crookston High School, and her parents were the first Latino family to purchase a home and operate a business in the community. Eva was proud of her heritage, her family’s contributions to Crookston, and the good life she built there.

—portrait of Eva Mendez by Xavier Tavera / circa 2016 

McKenzie Schmiedt joined the National Guard while still in high school. Since then, she has trained, served communities in crisis, and responded during times of turmoil. Her service continues a long tradition of military service within her Latino family. Born and raised in Crookston, McKenzie now raises her own child in the community.

—portrait of McKenzie Schmiedt by Morgen Arguelles & Xavier Taver / circa 2021 

Families should never be separated because a child will not know what to do or who they can trust. Families need to stay together.

digital photography by Aliana Sanchez / circa 2019 

What is happening that allows others to take our rights away? This is not just about the right to choose. It is about our right to exist as equal human beings. I grew up knowing that every woman has the right to decide what happens to her own body. It wasn’t even a question. It was a right—a basic human right. And then, with one decision made by a handful of people, women across generations were told that we are not capable of making our own choices. This is not right.

— portrait of Sandy Zepeda by Monique Arguelles / circa 2020 

The hatred we experience in this world is like being lost in a forest of dead trees. Nothing grows. Nothing changes. We refuse to accept what others put on us and instead live our lives looking towards the stars that shine within us.

—digital collage by Monique Arguelles / circa 2018 

We come across the term “illegal alien” though many of us don’t even understand the term and many who use it can’t explain what it is either. They try and hold us back, keep us down with negatives. But we will break through the barriers. We are Mexican Americas “illegal alien” is not in our vocabulary!

— digital manipulation by Albert Torres / circa 2013 

Never be disappointed by what other people think. Look, listen, take it all in. Use their words and images to make you feel stronger about who you are. Don’t look at the hate and racism. Look through it. We are all one and equal, from Black to White to Spanish to Asian. Look at yourself and love yourself for who you are.

—portrait of Felipe Hernandez by Cristina Rodriguez circa 2001 

To leave El Salvador is to leave the past behind – to sacrifice our bond to family, ceremony, and land. So many have left the poverty and violence for hopes of bettering existence. It is a difficult path filled with hope and guided by faith. So many have died along the way, their deaths unnoticed as they travel alone to a new world. As they walk, they carry El Salvador in their hearts and the colors of the flag on their back. They wander the deserts and the fields searching for a new home.

They climb fences and cross borders taking El Salvador with them where ever they go. Don’t hate us because we are Salvadorian, hate the conditions that drove us to leave El Salvador.

—digital self portrait by Jennifer Estafania Alvarez / circa 2012

Some days you are okay, some days you cry and some days you even manage to smile and laugh. BUT… all of the days you go through grief.

—digital self portrait / Rena Bouchard Zapata / circa 2023 

Here is the doorway that opens the passage to life and its reality. Whether you choose to physically or mentally open it, you will begin the process of learning new ways of how others experience the art of life. Open the door and you will open new ways of appreciating all that life has to offer.

—digital portrait by Cristina Rodriguez / circa 2002 

There’s no hiding the beauty within us. It’s in the blood that runs through our veins and the skin that carries our culture. No matter who we are or where we go, our heritage remains a part of us—it is who we are.

digital manipulation by Rebecca Rodriguez / circa 2013 

I hold the sun in my heart. It is a fire that cannot be put out. It gives me life. I am electricity. I am a shot of fire power Energy is all I have to give. I am a firework that you must stop and stare in awe of. but know this: You don’t know how dangerous electricity can be. You don’t know how much it would hurt if you mess with me.

self portrait by April Gomez / circa 2018 

This is what is most important to me: my life as a boxer, my faith, and my heritage. Staying as a resident of Crookston allows me to give back to my community, stay close to my family and get a good “home cooked” meal from my mom. 

—digital collage by Felipe Hernandez, 2000

We are forgotten and buried. Our stories of disgust are never justified, only denied. We have always been treated different and we have always treated you the same. You have always been in control and somehow we are always afraid. We just want equality and peace and not to be hidden away.

—digital self portrait byApril Gomez / circa 2015 

A proud Mexican American, I carry my past with me while working to change my life for the better. I am not perfect, but I know who I am, where I come from, and the strength of the family and friends who have stood beside me. I am Gabriel Ibarra.

Gabriel Ibarra / circa 2012 

These are difficult times, shaped by fear, violence, and division. People are being shot by the police for no reason. Police are being shot by people for no reason. We need to see one another beyond uniforms and the color of our skin, let go of fear, and find ways to listen, forgive, and understand each other. It is time to come together as one community.

— self portrait by Miracle Espericueta/ circa 2016 

We are forgotten and buried. Our stories of disgust are never justified, only denied. We have always been treated different and we have always treated you the same. You have always been in control and somehow we are always afraid. We just want equality and peace and not to be hidden away.

—digital manipulation by April Gomez / circa 2015 

The love and protections that I give to you is for you to grow strong and be prepared for whatever life throws at you so you can take on our world.

—digital portrait of portrait of Gilly Hernandez by Gabriella Rodriguez / circa 2018 

We live here believing this town belongs to us and that we have great things to contribute to the community. But when I see those words “this town is mine” etched within the alleys of our town, I realize they are not written for “us”. As Latinos we still struggle to be heard and to be seen. We struggle to be accepted. We believe this town is “ours” and we would like you to believe it as well.

—digital self portrait by D’analiesia de la cruz / circa 2015 

I have the hope, faith and strength to get through whatever is thrown at me. I believe in my dreams, high up and above.

—digital manipulation by D’analiesia de la Cruz / circa 2013 

I am proud to be Mexican because being Mexican is themost beautiful thing that ever happened to me. Too many people tell me I wouldn’t like being Mexican because they “SUCK” at everything. But they are wrong. I show them that “Yes we can do Everything.” “Yes” I can do it!

—digital self portrait by Jacquelyn Mendoza / circa 2013 

I’m looking forward to the future where we as Latinos will be able to do whatever we want without feeling weird, left out, or different because of our race. I look forward to when we can come out of the darkness.

digital collage by Selena Hernandez / circa 2013

I ask every night “Lord, why do they judge me? Please help them understand that I want to be able to do the same things others in my community do. I want to learn skills and chase dreams like others. I pray that the judgements placed on me from those that live in this town changes, that people begin to understand that I am not here to "sell drugs or worsen "their community. I am here to better myself and to show others by example that my family is not and never will be the stereotype they put on me.

—digital self portrait by Angel Fuentes (RIP) / circa 2016