Brionna Bolanos and Gabriela Farrell Study the Experiences of South American Migrants in D.C.
With the support of the Georgetown Americas Institute, Brionna Bolanos and Gabriela Farrell were able to further their research on the D.C. South American migrant community. What are the challenges for and also the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of Latin American im/migrants in Washington, D.C.? What do trainees need to learn about these experiences to become better advocates for immigrant justice?
What are the challenges for and also the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of Latin American im/migrants in Washington, D.C.? What do trainees need to learn about these experiences to become better advocates for immigrant justice?
This capstone project explores and answers these questions through the use of personal interviews and Photovoice methodology to collect first-hand accounts from the D.C. South American migrant community on three themes: the migration journey; support and community; and hopes and dreams. These accounts were used, with the support of secondary data, to create Migrant Voices D.C.(migrantvoicesdc.org), an interactive training course on Latin American migration.
Our research studies the migration experiences of South American migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees residing in temporary housing in Washington, D.C. Our project collects primary data in collaboration with our organizational partner, the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching, and Service (CSJ) at Georgetown University, which has a history of working with the D.C. migrant community through the DC Schools Project (DCSP), a community-based service, advocacy, and English-language tutoring program. This capstone project takes a participatory, community-based approach to primary data collection by using Photovoice methodology and personal interviews so that personal narratives function as the central form of knowledge used to educate on the migration experience. To supplement the micro-level data from individual photovoice responses and interviews, secondary research is conducted on the Latin American political, economic, and social histories; the district’s immigration history; and federal and local immigration policies impacting this population in order to create a comprehensive and interactive online training website.
The project is a joint capstone between Brionna Bolaños and Gabriella Farrell directed by the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) as a requirement for the Master of Arts in Latin American Studies within the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. It is conducted under the guidance of Adjunct Professor Liliana Duica-Amaya from Georgetown’s CLAS. This project results in the creation of an interactive, engaging, and permanent training course utilizing Photovoice methodology and personal interviews to educate on the migration experience from Latin America to D.C. This course will be used by the CSJ to train DCSP tutors and coordinators to be better advocates for the D.C. migrant community.