21 Nov Faces of DACA Project Kick-off at PNCA

On November 16th, Bienestar staff joined with talented artists and five exceptional DACA recipients and their families to kick off the Faces of DACA project. This project will profile five Dreamers who have courageously stepped forward and offered to tell their stories to raise awareness about the recently terminated DACA program and foster a greater understanding of the contribution of immigrants to our society.

The incomparable photographer Holly Andres, whose photographs have appeared in prestigious publications like TIME Magazine and The New Yorker, brings both passion and expertise to the project, taking beautiful photographs of each Dreamer. The photoshoot took place at the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), hosted by Victor Maldonado. This building once was the immigration center in Portland, and its history lingers in the architecture and the traces of the people who once passed through its doors to become citizens or to be deported, a past that remains very relevant today.

Photographer Holly Andres

The building’s legacy did not affect the mood of the families, Bienestar staff, and Board members gathered for the photoshoot, however. It was an opportunity to come together as a community, and the sense of solidarity, as well as the passion Holly Andres and the other artists brought to the project, was clear to see. The hope is that through this project, people will come to know these five Dreamers, and gain a greater awareness of what we stand to lose, if unjust immigration policies are allowed to continue.

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