We believe even a tiny glimpse into the life of a stranger can invite us to reflect more deeply on the humanity and complexity of our individual life journeys.
Ana Claudia, Fernando, Gilberto, Jennifer, Mario, Panfilo, Cinthia, and Saul live and work in Wisconsin today. They immigrated here from homes in Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, and Uruguay. Their stories were told to Bill Berry, a Wisconsin-based journalist, and they were photographed by Pulitzer-Prize winner Gary Porter.
While at the national level, the migration of people from Mexico, Central and South America is being debated, here in Wisconsin many of us have not had opportunities to meet or talk with immigrants from these places. We believe that the personal stories presented in this exhibit can deepen our understanding of immigrants’ lives and expand our understanding of history and policy.
Immigrant Journeys from South of the Border ¡Mi travesía hasta Wisconsin!, the traveling exhibit, was produced by the Wisconsin Humanities in partnership with Centro Hispano of Dane County. The two organizations came together as natural allies in strengthening community ties and building understanding among neighbors.
Centro Hispano’s programs and services are built to empower youth, strengthen families, and engage with the community. Wisconsin Humanities supports and creates programs that use history, culture, and discussion to strengthen community life for everyone in Wisconsin. As an independent non-profit with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Wisconsin, and private donors, Wisconsin Humanities provides tools for state residents to thoughtfully discuss current public policy issues using the breadth of humanities resources.
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Credits:
This is a project of Wisconsin Humanities with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Wisconsin Humanities Alumni Circle. All information on this website, including photos and words, may not be used without permission.
© Wisconsin Humanities 2019–2021
Community members who shared their stories: Centro Hispano of Dane County worked closely with Wisconsin Humanities, the journalist and the photographer to conceptualize the traveling exhibition and make connections with Latino immigrants living and working in Wisconsin who were interested in sharing their personal stories.
Website Content Development and Design:
- Cristopher Font-Santiago (Former Exhibit Tour Project Manager)
- Mirva Johnson (Thanks to support from the UW–Madison Center for the Humanities)
- Jessica Becker (Wisconsin Humanities)
Exhibit Tour Project Manager: Jessica Becker
Translations: Carmelo Dávila
Photography: Gary Porter
Journey Stories: Bill Berry
Audio Production: Craig Eley
WordPress Design and Support: WiscWeb team of Linda Kietzer, Joyce Johnston, and Libby Peterek
Exhibit Design: Tricia Peterson, Blueraven Creative, LLC
Map Design: Rozalynn Klaas, Applied Population Lab
Content Consultants:
- Mariela Quesada Centeno, UW–Madison School of Human Ecology and Centro Hispano of Dane County
- Laura Dresser and Yair Kaldor, UW–Madison COWS
- Mary Louise Gomez, UW–Madison Department of Curriculum and Instruction
- Sergio M. González, Marquette University Departments of History and Languages, Literatures & Cultures
- Cain Oulahan, Attorney and Partner at Murrar, Oulahan, Rivas & Hochstatter, LLC
- Jesus Salas, retired, Madison Area Technical College (now Madison College), UW–Madison and UW–Milwaukee
- Joe Salmons, UW–Madison Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures
- Catherine Stafford, UW–Madison Department of Spanish and Portuguese